Woman delivers quintuplets after eight years of barrenness

After years of struggling to have babies of her own, trader Ama, who wants to be known by that, has finally delivered quintuplets. She delivered three boys and two girls through a Caesarean Section under retired gynaecologist DCOP Dr. Samuel Amo-Mensah. Having married for over eight years, conceiving children of her own had been a tough task for Ama. Efforts to make her fertile proved futile, making her lose hope. The situation made her mostly stay indoors as she could not stand societal rejection. For her, Friday, June 21, 2019 will forever remain a great day in her life as she had her breakthrough, delivering quintuplets. With in vitro fertilisation (IVF), she managed to deliver five babies at the Sam J. Specialist Hospital. Ama, who says she will not have any more children, expressed gratitude to God for intervening in her situation, and said she is certain God will provide for her and her kids. ‘The good Lord who gave me these wonderful babies will certainly ensure the babies are well catered for.” Though a rare occurrence, Dr Amo-Mensah admits, the rate of giving birth has been made easier with technology. He advised prospective partners to pay heed to medical concerns especially their blood type as it may determine the health of their babies. “Till when will couples continue taking risks that will affect the lives of their babies?” he questioned. The babies are currently receiving special care and attention at the neonatal intensive care unit of the Sam J Specialist Hospital. According to World Data Atlas, Ghana’s birth rate for 2017 stood at 30.52 per cent, a 1.7 per cent decrease from that recorded in 2016. Fertility rate on the other hand fell gradually from 4.04 children per woman in 2015 to 3.87 children per woman in 2018. Multiple births are rare especially those relating to quadruplets and above. Though Ghana does not have statistics, there have been recent cases of quintuplets. In 1999, a farmer gave birth to quintuplet, all girls, at Saltpond in the Central Region. The family of the quintuplets welcome support for the well being of the children. Donations can be made at TV3 and it would go a long way to support the quintuplets. By George Kwaning| 3news.com|Ghana]]>