“Feeding the babies is a challenge.” Parents of 4-Months-Old Quadruplets Ask For Help

Multiple birth parents, Obinna and Fidelia Iloh, have been married for about three years. When the news that his wife had just been delivered of quadruplets, Obinna, whose business had suffered a setback in the last few months was first overwhelmed by bitter-sweet emotions before despair gripped him.

Fidelia, who is still unemployed after the completion of NYSC, welcomed four bundles of joy – two boys and two girls at Isolo General Hospital, Lagos. The quadruplets are named Chidiebube, Chibikem, Chimamaka, and Chimobim.

Four months after welcoming their quadruplet, the couple are crumbling under the weight of the cost of taking care of their babies under the current harsh economic climate.

They told Sunday Punch:

“To be frank with you, I wasn’t expecting four babies at a time. At a point, some people advised me to abandon them and run away because of the pressure, but I can’t leave them. These children are God’s gifts to me and I accept them wholeheartedly. But it has not been easy coping with taking care of four of them.

“Feeding the babies is a challenge. Four of them consume about one and a half tins of milk a day. So, we buy in cartons weekly. Breastfeeding is a challenge. The babies take turns.

”We do the breastfeeding four times in a day and every baby has a turn, so that everyone can boast that he or she has tasted the breast milk. So I have to eat a lot. When they cry or are sick, it is also a challenge for me. Although my mother came to stay with us for a period before she left. Taking care of four children has not been easy because I have only two hands and two legs.

“We spend N54, 000 on purchasing only dairy milk for the babies monthly; another N30,000 to pay the nannies, and about N20,000 to take care of other expenses, such as buying fuel for the generator, due to poor electricity in the area where we reside, buying bottled water, as the tap water is not hygienic enough for babies’ consumption. We buy two cartons containing 12 big-sized bottles of water every month. Also, there is the extra cost of drugs (infants get free treatment in general hospitals in Lagos).

“As the babies grow, we are going to be expecting greater challenges, especially in the area of their education and in other aspects. My husband is the sole provider for the family as I don’t have a job yet. So, these expenses have affected our income as a family.

“We are just ‘managing’ now. The cartons of (dairy) milk we presently use were given to us by our relatives. But only two tins are left now. We provide other things by ourselves,” she added.

Aside from their financial needs, the mother, who is still recovering from the delivery by Caesarean Section, said the stress of taking care of four babies has taken a toll on her health.

Iloh said she was bedridden for three months prior to the deliveries.

The mother of four is now appealing to the wife of Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to assist them.

She added: “As a lady and a mother, she knows how it is to be a mother.”

Although residing in Lagos State, the Ilohs hail from Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State. “Having quadruplets is a thing of joy, and it happened once in a while. Our governor, Willie Obiano, should also lend his support and appreciate our children,” Iloh said.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Femi Ogun, said the Ilohs could write an official letter seeking assistance to the ministry, which would be forwarded to the commissioner.

Photo credit: Punch