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#Post#: 67--------------------------------------------------
Today's World News --- Hard times turn families’ joy to fear
over births of triplets
DIR By: Dblessed One
Date: September 10, 2016, 5:28 am
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Gbenro Adeoye
The cries of babies drowned the chatter of mothers at the
prenatal ward of the Lagos hospital.
In one corner of the ward sat a mother with a glum, hopeless
look in her eyes. Her babies- all three of them- were crying in
unison as she busied herself with the task of preparing formula
for them in a small baby bottle.
The tin of milk had only been bought the previous day and its
content was already down.
Iyabo Tolase, 32, had been delivered of her triplets-all boys- a
week earlier through caesarean section but with the cries of the
babies came the dissipation of her joy.
Indeed, it has been an exciting time in the last two weeks at
Alimosho General Hospital in Igando, Lagos, which witnessed a
harvest of triplets.
But it has also been one fraught with worries by the struggling
mothers. Their apprehensions have been further heightened by the
current economic crisis in the country, which has markedly
increased the rate of inflation.
‘I hope I won’t live in this hospital forever’
Tolase has three other children and sells food at Iyana-Iba, a
busy area of Lagos. Her husband and father of the children,
Sola, 36, works at Ojo Local Government Area secretariat, where
he earns N16,000 monthly.
She said after getting pregnant, she thought she was having a
fourth child and never thought she would be having two more.
Tolase had been living in the hospital for three months and had
no idea of when she would be able to leave. She had been
discharged by the doctors four days earlier but as her unpaid
medical bills still ran into N137,000, she had yet to be
released to return home.
With the support of family members, Tolase has spent over
N200,000 already on drugs, consumable goods and payment of
N80,000 out of her medical bills.
Having been diagnosed with hepatitis B, Tolase said she was
required to buy an N80,000 injection for each of her babies to
prevent them from being infected.
Eventually, she bought two injections, which were shared among
her triplets.
For her babies naming ceremony, which was held in the hospital
ward, biscuits were shared among family members present as the
triplets were named: Abdulmalik, Abdulbasit and Habibullah.
“It was painful that we could not have my babies’ naming
ceremony at home, but what can I do?” She said with a note of
frustration.
“I have accepted everything by faith because it is how God has
designed it. I have been admitted to the hospital since I was
six months pregnant and knew I was carrying a set of triplets.
“The doctors said I had high blood pressure and that it was safe
for me to remain here where they would be able to monitor my
babies. Now, I don’t know when I will leave the hospital; I hope
I won’t be here forever.”
Tolase’s elder sister, Mrs. Jaiyeola Adeogun, who has been
assisting her at the hospital, blamed her sister’s abnormal
blood pressure on the sudden news that she was pregnant with
triplets.
“Her high BP must have been caused by the news that she was
having triplets after an initial test result had suggested
otherwise,” she said in one of her interjections.
Initial ultrasound result suggested that Tolase was pregnant
with twins. But when her pregnancy had advanced to six months
and Tolase went for another ultrasound test at a different
place, the technician found the second heartbeat… and then a
third.
According to her, she sobbed and sobbed after the news until the
technician called her mother on phone to come for her.
“After the man told me that there were three babies, I started
arguing with him,” she said.
“I thought he was lying, but he insisted that I was pregnant
with triplets. My whole world seemed to turn upside down at that
moment. I started crying and could not leave until the man asked
for the telephone number of my relatives.
“Since my husband was not around at the time, he called my
mother to come and take me home. Then later, at this hospital,
it was confirmed that I was pregnant with triplets.
“I was not expecting a set of twins let alone triplets. There is
no way we can afford to take care of six children with my
husband’s salary and my income. For over three months, I have
been in the hospital and have not even been able to work.”
Already, the development had started putting pressure on
Tolase’s 13-year-old marriage as she and her husband have been
bickering over money to pay hospital bills and take care of
their children.
Her mother, who had been financially supportive and had taken
custody of her other three children in her absence, had grown
weary of the burden.
“My husband did not run away but there is no money,” she said
when asked if she was ever afraid that her husband might leave
her.
“He has only brought N50,000 and that was all he had, which is
far from what is needed. My mother and other relatives have been
supportive but she has already told me that she would withdraw
her support because she was tired.
“My husband and I are still on the matter now; I have told him
to look for money and he has gone to do that.”
She, however, appealed for help from the public to support her
during the tough time while she nurses her triplets and makes
attempts to be financially independent.
“I don’t want any more children; I didn’t think that I could
ever be pregnant with triplets,” she said.
“We need help, even if it is to have some wares to sell at the
house while I nurse my children. We do not have the money to
take care of these children, so we will appreciate any support.
“I have already put my faith in God and people have been telling
me that there is nothing that God cannot do. I still have
medical bills to pay and if I don’t get it, my children and I
may not leave this hospital.”
Down the hall from the hospital’s prenatal ward is its postnatal
ward, where a young mother lay with painful but healing surgical
wounds.
‘I couldn’t run away because I fear God and love my wife’
Like Tolase, Hafsah Adeyemo, 23, had also been delivered of a
set of triplets through Caesarean Section but her initial joy of
motherhood was soon dampened by the fear of the future.
And also like Tolase, Adeyemo has been discharged by doctors at
the hospital but was being held back by unpaid N76,600 medical
bills.
The soft-spoken mother met and fell in love with Yusuf two years
ago in school- Ogun State Institute of Science and Technology,
Igbesa.
The two married on May 28, 2016, and while Yusuf finished his
Higher National Diploma programme in Business Administration in
the school in 2015, his wife also finished her Ordinary National
Diploma in the same department that same year.
Adeyemo is unemployed and plans to return to school for HND;
however, Yusuf manages a fish farm with about 1,000 fish, which
he said would not be able to generate enough money to take care
of their three children.
After three months of Adeyemo’s pregnancy, the couple headed for
the first ultrasound test, which showed that they would be
parents of three children and not one.
“When we realised that she was pregnant, we believed that it
would be one child and that we would be able to care for him
with my income,” said Yusuf, who may soon join other graduates
for the National Youth Service Corps in October.
“I also believed that my allowance from the NYSC would
supplement my income from the farm to take care of my family.
But we were both surprised when the scan result showed that
Hafsah was pregnant with triplets.”
Yusuf said he did not choose to run away and abandon his young
family because of his fear of God and love for his wife. Rather,
the first thing he did was to head to the nearest mosque to pray
for safe delivery and guidance.
“I was waiting outside while my wife was having the scan, but
later the technician called me inside to share the news with
me,” he said.
“First, he asked if my wife had told me the news. When I said
no, he showed me on the screen that my wife was pregnant with
three boys. I asked why that was so. He said it had nothing to
do with him, and that it was God that gave them to us.”
“But I did not think of running away; instead, I went to a
mosque to pray because I’m very religious and I know that
everything comes from God. I didn’t expect triplets, so I prayed
to God who put them there to provide for me to take care of
them.
“I told God that he sees me and knows what I have. I also prayed
for safe delivery for my wife.
“Hafsah was also surprised but she told me that since nothing
would ever make her have an abortion, she would bear the
children.”
One thing that is certain though is that the lives of the couple
have been changed forever.
Yusuf has been having sleepless nights as two of his babies were
jaundiced and all three had to be transferred to a better
equipped public hospital in Ikeja for phototherapy (light
treatment).
So Yusuf has been shuttling between one hospital and the other,
tending to the needs of his wife and babies.
After returning to his wife’s bedside from one of his trips to
see his babies at the Ikeja hospital, Yusuf said he had just
been told that the babies had also been discharged but he had to
offset a N20,000 medical bill before he could take them.
Meanwhile, his wife, who had also been discharged from Alimosho
General Hospital, was already spending her third additional day
at the hospital.
According to Yusuf, he had written to the hospital’s welfare
office and the Sole Administrator of Ayobo-Ipaja Local
Government Area, Abiodun Agbaje, for assistance but was still
awaiting their responses.
“I have spent about N140,000 already on bills, drugs and other
things but still have about N100,000 more to pay to the
hospitals to offset all my bills,” said Yusuf as he hurried to
get her wife some water.
“The economic crisis has made matters worse and also shot up the
cost of goods, including baby milk. I am deeply worried about my
babies and how they will get adequate care. I have been buying
baby food and diapers every now and then and I don’t know how
much longer I can afford them before I totally run out of cash.
“Everyone I have been calling for support has not been
forthcoming and our parents have done their best. Things are
really hard and I don’t know where to turn again for help.
“At the local government, I was told that I would be contacted
on phone but there has been nothing yet. The hospital’s welfare
office asked me to come back but it has already ordered that we
should not be given any additional bills, which is good news.”
A copy of the letter Yusuf sent to the administrator of his
local council, read in part, “I am writing from the bottom of my
heart…. Please sir, I need you to save the lives of my wife and
children.”
Coincidentally, the couple’s fathers-both welders by profession-
were also at the hospital when our correspondent visited.
Both of them said they were surprised by the sight of triplets
as they were not aware that their children were expecting more
than one child.
“When someone told me that my daughter had given birth to a set
of triplets, I thought it was a joke until I got here and saw
them,” said Adeyemo’s father, Lateef Bakare.
Meanwhile, all Adeyemo could think of was to leave the hospital
and see her children, who had had only a brief moment with their
mother before their transfer to another hospital.
“I was still dizzy when they showed them to me after their
delivery, so I did not see them well; I want to leave this
hospital and see my babies,” Adeyemo said with visible
frustration.
“I do not feel comfortable with my continued stay here, so I
will deeply appreciate any assistance we can get from the
public. My major concern is the feeding of my babies and other
expenses.
“We have spent a lot already and some people have given us money
but it is not enough because things are very expensive and we
have spent so much money on drugs.”
In spite of the couple’s financial challenges, Adeyemo’s faith
in her husband and their ability to get through the tough time
remains strong.
“I know what I went through in the last nine months and would
never consider giving up any of my babies,” she said
confidently.
“And I never for one second had the thought that my husband
would leave and abandon me and my babies because he is religious
and not brash to take such a decision.”
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