When a 29 year old Emirati woman residing in Ajman found that she was pregnant, she and her husband were thrilled to receive a new member to the family after a prolonged wait. The family was gifted four times the joy when she gave
birth to quadruplets at Zulekha Hospital in Sharjah. Quadruplets are a rare phenomenon that occur 1 in 700000 deliveries and average length of gestation at birth is 29 weeks. This is the first such case in Zulekha Hospital, Sharjah since its inception in 1992.
“Women with multiple pregnancies are at high risk of fetal loss, first trimester bleeding, physiological changes of pregnancy being enhanced and need special close antenatal care. In second trimester, monitoring the growth, ruling out anomalies in the babies, and ensuring early detection of complications require thorough scrutiny,” said the treating doctor, Dr. Pooja Mohan Jaisal, Specialist Gynecologist.
The woman faced extreme discomfort and shortness of breath due to pushing of diaphragm by an extremely large and distended uterus. She also had a large placenta which was low lying leading to antepartum hemorrhage (serious pregnancy complication). She was admitted for management of this condition in the previous hospital she visited and was discharged after bleeding was momentarily controlled. However she needed early delivery as the antepartum hemorrhage could have been life threatening to the fetuses.
“I was in intense pain and was advised to expedite my delivery after minimizing the risks, so I decided to come to Zulekha Hospital Sharjah. The reputation of Zulekha Hospital having all the top-notch facilities, expert doctors and availability of Level III NICU services helped me with the decision,” added the new mother.
The babies, all four boys were delivered at 28 weeks of pregnancy with extreme caution following an hour long Caesarean operation and weighed 0.83 kg, 0.86 kg, 1.1 kg and 1.05 kg respectively.
Dr. Sujay Narayanarao, Consultant Neonatologist commented: “All babies faced challenges related to lung immaturity at the time of birth and required CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) respiratory support at birth. Three of them also received surfactant after birth to help with the maturity of the lungs. Total parenteral nutrition was administered to all of them for weight gain and balanced nutrition.”
Routine head ultrasound scan and eye evaluation were normal for all the babies and they are doing neurologically well at present. The neonatal team at Zulekha Hospital is expecting a good neurodevelopmental outcome for all of them.
All the four babies and mother are doing fine at present. Babies were discharged when they were around 36 weeks corrected gestation and all have crossed 2 kg weight mark at present.
(Patient identity kept confidential on request)
