Dubai: A 33-year-old expatriate woman in Sharjah, mother to three daughters -- Habiba (11), Farah (6) and Rahma (4) -- gave birth to a quadruplet of sons. The Egyptian couple became the proud parents of four bonny boys born recently through the Caesarean section at NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah.
Against all odds
The chances of survival of the quadruplets were slim. The babies had to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for three weeks. They needed mild respiratory support after the birth and two of the babies had feed intolerance. However, they have overcome all the challenges and are doing well now and all set to go home.
Michael Brenden Davis, CEO, NMC Healthcare, said: “We are delighted to be sending home these little bundles of joy to start their lives. I am so thankful to our amazing team of doctors and nurses for their hard work and dedication as well as to the perseverance of the parents of these sweet quadruplets who have kept their faith and belief in us all along.”
Quadruplet births: One in 700,000 pregnancies
Describing the joy the babies have brought to their parents and the hospital staff, Dr Pooja Agarwal, specialist neonatologist at NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah, said: “Quadruplet pregnancy is as rare as one in 700,000 cases, with a 25 per cent risk of loss before birth. They usually get delivered maximum by the 29th week of gestation.”
Beating all odds, Ahmed, Adam, Mohamed and Malek were delivered at 31 weeks of gestation, weighing between 1.6kg to 2kg.”
Dr Agarwal added: “At the time of delivery, almost 20 doctors and nurses across multi-specialities were at hand to help ensure a smooth procedure.”
Deferring the delivery until the 31st week and giving the babies a good chance to grow in their mother’s womb was made possible under the expert care of Dr Ahmed Elbohoty, gynaecologist and IVF consultant at the hospital. The couple had been under In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment with Dr El Bohoty.
Delaying the delivery
Recounting the challenges of supervising a quadruplet pregnancy, Dr El Bohoty said: “Prior to coming to us, the mother had received all her antenatal care at another medical centre in Sharjah under my supervision. I was working towards delaying the time of delivery, while keeping in mind the mother’s safety. She has been a mother to three girls earlier, delivered through Caesarean Section. Finally, on July 6, I was happy to supervise the culmination of this high-risk pregnancy with the birth of the four boys at NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah.”
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Davis added: “We are happy that despite the low birth weights, the babies are doing fine and are ready to go home, thanks to a brilliant team at NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah."
