The highs, lows of raising quadruplets

Circumstances of the birth
The Ofubos reveal that their children’s birth date was the happiest time of their lives, given their previous struggle to have children.
The couple got married in 2015 and afterwards, tried to have a baby in vain.
“I failed to conceive after the wedding,” Rossette recalls, adding, “As a couple, we tried, tried, and tried, but nothing happened.”

At the time, Rosette was in her early 30s while her husband was in his 40s. From time to time, the couple, especially Rossette, was subjected to scrutiny from relatives, friends and other members of the community.
“Things were very tough on my side. I was asked whether I was actually intending not to have children or if something was wrong with me,” she says.

One of the ways Rosette dealt with pressure was by constantly reminding people that God’s timing was the best and that, He is the one who gives children.
“Even with my response, people were unbothered. They did not want to hear ‘excuses’. All they wanted to see was my pregnancy,” she says.
Rossette, like her husband, is calm and soft spoken.

The diagnosis
One day, Rossette visited Nsambya hospital and while there, she saw a specialist who ran different tests, including a scan on her.
“The results revealed that I had fibroids,” she says.

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumours that grow in a woman’s womb. It is believed that certain fibroids may affect a woman’s ability to conceive. One of the common symptoms associated with fibroids include an irregular menstruation cycle, something Rossette had experienced before the diagnosis.

The fibroids were removed in a surgical operation conducted in 2016. Thereafter, the couple tried again having a baby but still, in vain.

It was in this same year (2016), that they decided to seek further medical intervention at Bethany Women’s Hospital in Luzira. While there, further tests were conducted and it was discovered that Rossette had a hormonal imbalance that was affecting her fertility.
“I was immediately given medication to help resolve this health issue,” she says.

Rossette took the medication as she continued to visit the hospital. During a visit in July 2017, some tests were conducted and one of them confirmed she was pregnant.
“I remember embracing one of the nurses and thanking her with endless tears flowing down my eyes,” she says, adding, “I was the happiest woman that day.”

That evening, she broke the news to her husband after he returned from work. Just like her, Ofubo was over the moon.

During the next couple of months, as the pregnancy grew, Rossette ensured to go for regular antenatal check-ups like many expectant mothers. And it was during one of these visits that she found out it was a multiple pregnancy, information she later shared with her husband.
“From the time we found out that it was more than one foetus in her womb, we both became anxious until the time they were born. We always wondered if they would be born healthy and normal,” Ofubo says.
“We were so uneasy. However, we decided to leave everything to God,” she says.

The quadruplets were eventually born on April 16, 2018 after spending nine months and one week in the womb. After one week, the twins went home to Nabbingo in Nsangi Sub-county, Wakiso District.

Life with quadruplets
The couple admits that when the quadruplets were finally brought home, they had to make a huge adjustment as priority shifted from them to their children.

The Ofubos were lucky, though that at the time, some relatives including holiday makers were living in their home. They were excited (over the newborns) and were willing to give the parents a helping hand.
“There was a lot of excitement when we brought the children home. It was probably for that reason that everyone within the household wanted to help out. In fact, we ended coming up with a day and night duty rota where each member had specific role to play in the house,” she says.

During the children’s early months, they were mostly given formula as breast milk was hardly enough for all of them. In fact, Ofubo says at one point, they were consuming one tin per day. A tin of formula costs about Shs38,000. The same applies to pampers where each toddler would use about five pampers in a day. The jumbo (largest) pack of pampers goes for more than Shs40,000.

With such expenses, the couple acknowledges the fact that it was expensive to take care of the children.
“Taking care of four babies is costly. It is not easy,” the Ofubos confirm, adding, “On most occasions, the expenses on diapers would outdo what we spend on milk.”

One wonders, then, how the couple was coping financially.
“We were lucky that God touched a number of people who came to our rescue especially family and church members. Whenever someone came to check on us, they did not come empty-handed. They came with diapers, clothes, among other items,” Rossette says, adding, “Their contributions helped to lessen the burden for us.”

Besides, the couples’ earnings from their respective jobs also helped cater to the household’s daily expenses.
Ofubo is an events photographer and videographer and Rossette is a policewoman.
The couple are thankful that their children hardly fall sick. However, on the occasion that any of them falls sick, they are immediately rushed to Nsambya hospital for treatment.

Milestones
The quadruplets are 11 months old and they will make a year next month. (April). So far, their parents have noticed respective unique character traits. Elijah easily cries, Elizabeth is often calm and quiet while Eunice is picky even with her food. Enoch is a free spirit, friendly and associates with everyone.

Today, the couple hires four nannies designated to help look after each child.
“At first, we were relying on our relatives mostly the holidaymakers but when they went back to school, we opted to hire caretakers to help us out,” Rossette says.

The children are learning to crawl, therefore, the nannies monitor their respective movements.
“When they were younger, we could put them in one place and they would not move, but, now that has changed. Today, you will instead find them crawling in different directions of the house,” Joseph says.

They no longer feed on formula but still breastfeed.
“Sometimes, I breastfeed them in turns. I place one on the left breast and the other on the right. Once these are through feeding and are satisfied, I put them down and feed the other two,” Rossette says.

Besides breast milk, the quadruplets also feed on different solid foods, including porridge. The nannies always help feed as well as bathe them.
The quadruplets do not sleep on their own yet. During night hours, Elijah and Enoch sleep in their parents’ bedroom while Elizabeth and Eunice, sleep with their two nannies.

On whether they plan on having more children in the future, the couple responds that God has already sorted them out.
“God has sorted us out by blessing us with our two boys and two girls. We want to focus on raising these four,” Joseph and Rossette say.

Reaction from other people
From the time she had the quadruplets, Rossette says a number of people who find out are always curious to know how she had them.
“They ask me many questions including which doctor(s) helped me out. I am always happy to share my story with them,” she says.
Their birth has also silenced critics who used to question her capability of having children.
“They are all quiet now,” she says.

However, some people remain speechless, upon discovering the couple has quadruplets.

Although some have cautioned them about the future such as raising school fees and medical expenses, the couple is not worried.
“We are taking it one day at a time and enjoying our blessings,” Ofubo says, adding, “If God has been so good to us now, He will still be with us even in the coming years.”
Ofubo concludes that his children have definitely changed his attitude towards work. He works much harder, bearing in mind of the responsibility at hand.