Precious Ifeanyi, a businesswoman married for 13 years, recently welcomed a remarkable surprise at the National Hospital in Abuja. After undergoing In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), she gave birth to sextuplets – four girls and two boys. Initially expecting quintuplets, Precious was overjoyed to discover an additional baby during delivery.
Over 13 years, Precious and her husband faced disappointments and spent a significant amount of money on various treatments without success. However, their perseverance paid off when they decided to try IVF. Starting at Fertile Ground Hospital in Jos and continuing at the National Hospital in Abuja, Precious underwent the IVF procedure and carried her pregnancy for 30 weeks before delivering via Caesarean Section.
From images shared online of the babies, they appear to be breathing on their own, which is an incredible feat for little ones who are so premature.
The road to delivery was filled with challenges for Precious. The first three months were particularly tough, but she found relief in the fourth month before facing an arduous journey until delivery.
“The last two weeks before delivery was the climax of it all, I could not sleep, sitting down, standing, and lying down were all not easy,” she recalled.
“However I was encouraged by Dr Bello. The last week he encouraged me to go another week before delivering the babies and I am glad I did because we did not even know that there was an extra baby.”
Reflecting on her experience, Precious urges women in similar situations to trust in God’s plan because miracles can happen when you least expect them. And indeed, what started as a simple desire for children turned into an incredible blessing of six babies.
As Precious adjusts to life as a first-time mother of sextuplets, she acknowledges that assistance is needed – both financially and otherwise. The unexpected size of their growing family has taken them by surprise, but they remain grateful and appreciative.
Doctors continue to closely monitor the babies’ health while sharing in the joy experienced by Precious and her husband.
Multiple gestation pregnancies through IVF are not uncommon, with the majority being twin pregnancies. The odds of such pregnancies depend on factors like the number of embryos transferred and the patient’s age. In the past, transferring multiple embryos increased the chances of successful implantation but also led to a higher rate of multiple births.
