When Nomcebo Likhuleni, 30, from Mpumalanga found out she was pregnant after three months, she suspected she was carrying more than one baby because of the big bump.
She also assumed it would be twins because there is a history of twins in both her family and the father’s family. “At the same time, I also told myself that if it was just one baby, then it was big,” she said.
Her first clinic visit, she said, brought confusion.
“When I went for my first appointment, the doctors didn’t believe I was three months pregnant, they thought I was seven months.”
She said she “relaxed” after the first doctor told her she was carrying twins. But when another doctor confirmed she was carrying four, she burst into tears. “I didn’t expect that, especially because I’m unemployed.”
Likhuleni is from a small village of Buyelani in Mpumalanga.
Despite the high-risk nature of her pregnancy, she said the journey was relatively smooth, although physically demanding.
“I was always tired, you can imagine carrying four babies,” she said.
She attended regular check-ups every two weeks to monitor the pregnancy.
The quadruplets were born prematurely via Caesarean section on April 23, the same day as her six-year-old daughter’s birthday.
She gave birth to two boys and two girls. The identical twin boys, Ompha and Omphile, shared a placenta, while the girls, Refiloe and Reneilwe, each had their own placentas.
Likhuleni said she is worried about how she was going to support her big family. “I honestly don’t know how I’m going to survive with five children. I will need a lot of help raising them. But I believe God will not give me something beyond my strength. However, I would be very grateful for any support,” she said.
The kids were born at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria. The last time the hospital recorded a multiple birth of this scale was in 2013.
Lekhuleni’s quadruplets were delivered by a medical team led by obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Ayanda Mini.
Mini described the experience as both challenging and rewarding. “I had a rewarding and challenging experience managing this quadruplet pregnancy from 21 weeks until delivery at 31 weeks and three days,” she said.
Likhuleni had been referred from Themba Hospital in KaBokweni, Mpumalanga, due to the high-risk nature of her pregnancy and was closely monitored by specialists.
“The main complication we encountered was anaemia (shortage of healthy red blood cells that transport oxygen throughout the body), which is common in pregnancy but can be more severe with multiple pregnancies. We monitored and managed it carefully,” Mini explained.
In preparation for the premature delivery, Likhuleni was admitted about a week before delivery.
“We administered steroids to help with the babies’ lung development and magnesium sulphate to reduce complications associated with prematurity,” Dr Mini said.
The Caesarean section lasted approximately one-and-a-half hours.
While multiple births are not uncommon at the hospital, quadruplets marked a first for Dr Mini. “Triplets are something we see fairly regularly, but this was my first time delivering quadruplets. It was definitely a career milestone.”
She emphasised the importance of early antenatal care for all pregnant women.
“Many complications can be prevented or managed if detected early. The reason this case had a good outcome is because the mother booked early, allowing us to monitor both her and the babies closely,” she said.
According to Dr Angelique Coetzee from the Unity Forum of Family Practitioners, quadruplet pregnancies are highly uncommon.
“In a natural pregnancy, having quadruplets is not common at all. It does happen, but it’s very rare,” she explained.
Dr Coetzee noted that higher-order multiple pregnancies are often linked to fertility treatments.
“Normally, when we see cases like quadruplets, it is often associated with fertility medication such as ovulation-inducing drugs, and these are managed under the supervision of a gynaecologist,” she said.
She said the odds of naturally conceiving quadruplets are exceptionally low. “If conceived naturally, the likelihood is estimated at around one in 500,000 to one in 700,000 pregnancies,” she said.
Sowetan
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.