On Thursday, the National Hospital, Abuja, discharged the sextuplets delivered on January 30.

Precious Nwachukwu had the children after 13 years of marriage.

While handing the babies over to the parents and other helpers, the chief medical director, Muhammad Mahmud, said that the successful delivery of the babies and their care was a good feat recorded by the hospital.

He also said the babies, who had gone through certain stages of care to ensure that they were healthy, were given the best chances of survival by the neonatal unit of the hospital.

Mr Mahmud also applauded the family for keeping hope alive all these years and pushing themselves despite challenges.

He commended the philanthropists who had come to assist the family, adding that they still needed more support from all Nigerians to properly care for the children how they should be cared for.

The chief consultant neonatologist, Mariya-Mukhtar Yola, said birthing and caring for the sextuplets was indeed one of the rarest occasions the unit had had.

She said at birth, all the babies had special health challenges, thereby needing respiratory support and support with sugar levels, temperature, feeding, blood and even infection prevention.

The father of the babies, Ifeanyi Nwachukwu, appreciated the hospital for caring for the wife from four months into the pregnancy up till delivery.

He also thanked them for caring for the pre-term babies until they were fit to be discharged.

“We need the help of the teeming Nigerians and the amazing mother we have up there in the person of the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu. We have named the last daughter after her,” said Mr Nwachukwu. “We really desire that you come to our aid. The home that we are taking these children to now is a concern, and how to sustain them to be good citizens of Nigeria is a concern, but I know that you all can help us.”

The babies – four girls and two boys – were conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and were delivered at 30 weeks through Caesarean section.

(NAN)