Five babies born to one mother in Nakuru die

The quintuplets' parents Margaret Wairimu, 25, and 28-year-old Simon Ndungu. [Joseph Kipsang, Standard]

The five babies, who were born to one mother in Nakuru County on Tuesday, January 31, have died, family has confirmed.

The quintuplets (four girls and a boy), who were born at 25 weeks (slightly over six months), were under incubation at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital.

Their mother, Margaret Wairimu, is still receiving medical attention at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital.

Leah Nyambura Wambui, who is Wairimu's sister, told The Standard that the babies died a few hours apart.

"Today morning (Thursday, February 2), we received information from the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital management that two of the five babies had died. At around 1pm, we were told that the remaining three also succumbed," said Wambui.

The Medical Superintendent of the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital Dr. Asha Maina told The Standard on Wednesday that they had to conduct Caesarean Section delivery on Wairimu, 25, to save her life and her children's.

The newborns, who were underweight and pre-term, were kept under incubation, said Dr. Maina.

"The babies had immature organs," said Dr. Maina.

Incubators are important medical equipment that provide controlled environments, including temperature, to support the development of premature and ill babies.

Dr. James Waweru, the lead obstetrician at the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital, told The Standard that a pregnancy of multiple babies occurs when a woman has one egg splitting into several, or when she releases multiple eggs simultaneously.

Wairimu, a resident of Bahati, was admitted to the Nakuru Level 5 Hospital on January 27, when she exhibited pregnancy complications at 25 weeks.

Her husband, Simon Ndungu, said on Wednesday that following the birth of five babies, he was going to be a father of six.

"Our first born child is a 4-year-old girl. Following the birth of the five babies, my wife and I will now have six children," he told The Standard on February 1.

According to the 28-year-old, prenatal visits indicated that his partner was expecting three children, and not five.

"During the prenatal visits, scans conducted on the mother suggested that she was expecting triplets. It appears the extra two children couldn't be seen under the scan," he said.

Ndungu, a 2NK Sacco driver, said he was transporting passengers to Nairobi on Tuesday, when he was informed that his spouse had gone into labour, prompting him to hand over the vehicle to another driver.

"When I received a call informing me that my wife was due for delivery, I cancelled the trip and returned to Nakuru," he said.