A woman pregnant with quadruplets gave birth to her babies separately. The first two popped out on different days while the others remained in her womb.
In this article, you'll read:
- Details about the mum pregnant with quadruplets.
- Financial challenges of a quadruplets pregnancy
- What you should know about being pregnant with quadruplets
A Mum of Quadruplets Gave Birth to Two Boys; The Other Two Fetuses Remained in the Womb
In March 2022, a Chinese woman pregnant with quadruplets gave birth to two sons. Meanwhile, the other fetuses remained in her womb to avoid further complications. She gave birth to her first baby on the 22nd at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University.
The woman was only 25-week and six days pregnant when she gave birth to the first baby. The second son was born four days later. The two infants are being kept in incubators for close monitoring. On the other hand, the doctors try to postpone the delivery of the remaining two.
Premature babies are more likely to suffer abnormalities, according to Ma Yuyan, a doctor at Shandong University's Qilu Hospital. Because of this, the quadruplets' doctors want to delay the birth of the remaining fetuses.
"The first two babies had extremely early births. If all four babies were born at that time, they would have many complications, and it's quite risky for all of them to survive," said Dr Ma.
Mr Chu, the father, revealed that he has not seen his infants since their separate births.
"My babies are in the incubators. I have not seen them yet," he stated.
He also talked about how the different labour days took a toll on his wife's body. To ease his wife's condition, Mr Chu massages her legs for half an hour every day. He continues to do this because of the swollen side effect of pregnancy.
"My wife endures the most hardship. I am grateful to her," said Mr Chu.
Financial Challenges of a Mother Pregnant With Quadruplets
Mr Chu and his 22-year-old wife were initially told that she was pregnant with triplets. Their doctor failed to see the baby due to its obscure appearance in ultrasound pictures. Unfortunately, they cannot do something about the situation because it is already too late to reduce the number of fetuses.
The babies' parents live in the rural area of Jining in Shandong. Mr Chu earns a monthly income of $786 from his work in a logistic company. Because of the pregnancy, the couple spends $1,573 per day for each bay's incubator. The unexpected high cost placed a heavy financial burden on their household.
Additionally, Dr Ma Yuyan said that the mum of quadruplets also had to shoulder additional payments for emergency treatment. It was to treat the mother's cervical problem during her 22-week pregnancy.
Why the Doctor Suggested the Reduction of Fetuses
The mother had to undergo an emergency procedure to reinforce her cervix. According to the doctor, the first baby was born three weeks later, weighing 700 grams. After another set of unexpected treatments, the second baby boy was born preterm four days later, weighing 800 grams.
According to Dr Ma, "We don't suggest women carry so many fetuses because of the high occurrence of preterm labour, premature rupture of fetal membranes and conditions like hypertension and diabetes."
The seasoned doctor also provided insight to parents going through a similar ordeal.
"We advise couples to consider reducing the number of fetuses based on a strict assessment. Generally speaking, carrying twins is relatively safe," she added.
Interval delivery is a very rare situation not just in China but around the world.
What You Should Know About Being Pregnant With Quadruplets
Quadruplets are a set of four offspring born at one birth. An individual that is part of such a set is called a quadruplet and is sometimes referred to as a quad.
Types of Quadruplets
Quadruplets can be fraternal (multizygotic), identical (monozygotic), or a combination of both.
- Multizygotic quadruplets
It occurs from four unique egg/sperm combinations. It occurs from the fertilisation of four different sets of ovum and sperm.
- Monozygotic multiples
It is the result of a fertilized egg that splits into two or more embryos. Fully monozygotic quadruplets are rare, representing only one in about 13 million pregnancies. Meanwhile, it is possible for a split to occur more than once. It can produce monozygotic tripletsor even a rare set of monozygotic quadruplets.
Quadruplets Pregnancy
Unlike a full-term pregnancy of 40 weeks, the average gestation period for quadruplets lasts 28 to 31 weeks. Do not worry if you gain so much weight. A soon-to-be mum of quadruplets usually gains 40 to 100 pounds during pregnancy.
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