Woman who gave birth to septuplets loses one

The woman who gave birth to seven babies at Jinnah International Hospital Abbottabad (JIHA) a few days ago lost one son after two days.

Hospital’s Administrator Raja Mahboob Janjua told The Express Tribune that one baby boy, who was in an incubator since he was born, died after just two days. Three other baby girls and three baby boys, along with their mother, are still in hospital and in good health.

JIHA’s gynecologist, Dr Hina Fiaz, who performed the complicated surgery on the woman said, “The woman was using a certain contraceptive which led to the maturity of more eggs and resulted in more pregnancies at once.”

She performed the complicated operation after which a woman gave birth to septuplets at JIHA a few days ago. “The ultrasound and other reports had suggested the mother was pregnant with five children and she was in her third trimester,” she said.

Dr Fiaz said that she was shocked after seeing the woman’s reports, as her blood pressure was dangerously high and her stomach was extremely bloated.

The mother had already undergone two major surgeries in her previous deliveries.

“The mother was already having pain in her old stitches and there was a risk that the stitches and uterus would rupture which could have endangered the life of the mother and her children,” she said. The mother could suffer from postpartum hemorrhage as her blood pressure was already high, she had feared.

“Before performing the surgery, I discussed the case with the head of the Gynaecology Department, Dr Rubina Bashir, who advised to perform the surgery immediately with the consent of the family. We also made blood arrangement,” she said, adding that the modern infrastructure of the hospital helped her and the staff to perform the complicated procedure. Dr Shaheela, Dr Maryam and Dr Rabia were part of the team, and the surgery lasted for an hour.

“I have previously assisted in an operation for triplets but the latest operation was an entirely new experience,” she said, adding that they were expecting over five children as they often could not see the exact number of children in the ultrasound.

“I was overjoyed at incising all seven children alive, which is rare. The infants were transferred to the nursery while the mother was shifted to the ICU,” she said. The mother and the children were lucky in this case, but it doesn’t happen with everyone, she added.

Use of contraceptives

Dr Fiaz said that the use of contraceptive often leads to more than one pregnancy at the same time. Therefore, the women should use contraceptives only if a specialist advises them to.

The father of septuplets, Yar Muhammad, said they had come to JIHA in a helpless condition where they were blessed with four sons and three daughters. The couple already has two daughters.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2021.