We present to you the Nigerian mother of 7 who disclosed in an exclusive interview that she had her quadruple and Triplet kids in just 5 years.
Family picture: Musa Kanti, his wife Jummai and their seven children
28-year old mother-of-seven, Jummai Musa, all of which she had in the space of five years, has opened up to Daily Trust on how she achieved the feat.
Did you plan to have so many children within the space of five years?
It was not that I planned to have seven children within that period or to have so many children in the first place. It so happened that I was married for three years and didn’t have a child. I didn’t even get pregnant. My husband and I are farmers and didn’t have money to do tests to confirm if there was anything wrong with either of us. All we had were our prayers, God and support of our families and friends. God answered us after three years and I had a baby girl.
Two years after I had her, I was pregnant again and so excited about it. It was even more exciting to everyone who knew us when we discovered in my second trimester that they were twins. I danced, and my husband was so happy and especially happy when he was later told that one of the twins was a boy.
But beneath our joy, we were a little worried about how we would take care of them on our very low income. But God was kind and people helped and have been helping. Then three years after, I was pregnant again. I got worried because of our finances but had belief in God. When I went for scan, I was told I was expecting triplets. At this point, joy overwhelmed me as I began to wonder about God and how He does things.
What is it like looking after quadruplets?
Wow, the joys are as numerous as the challenges. Challenges, in terms of attending to their immediate needs and you have come at a time when it is the toughest for me with two or more of them crying at the same time for food. Sometimes, it feels like my head would explode.
But as the months go by I have learnt to deal with the situations two at a time or one at a time. You can see I am breastfeeding two at the same time and a third one is crying.
In such situations, the older children in the compound are eager to help me. I don’t know what I would have done without them. My neighbour also comes immediately to my aid. I don’t even have to ask her.
The one thing I am so grateful to God for is that they sleep well at night, except one who keeps me awake sometimes when he wants to play. Then sometimes they feel irritable, especially times when I take them for vaccines. When they come home they are so irritable and don’t want anyone to touch them except me.
As I have learnt, I can only do two at a time. So the ones I can breastfeed and sing to sleep I do so and then take on the rest until they too calm down. Times like this, my entire day goes to them.
Somebody else has to help me with the other children, cook the food and do other things I would have planned to do.