01/09/2026
We Asked for Twins — Life Gave Us Four
When Ernest and Temitope Amodu decided to try for another child, their hopes were modest. With a three-year-old son already at home and the rising cost of living in Nigeria, the couple prayed for twins and planned for that to be their last pregnancy.
What they never imagined was that their prayer would be answered four times over.
Temitope sensed early on that this pregnancy was different. Unlike her first, when morning sickness came late and she delayed antenatal care until her fourth month, this time her body reacted almost immediately.
“I started feeling ill very early,” she explains. “That pushed me to go to the hospital sooner, and that’s when everything changed.”
Medical tests revealed a multiple pregnancy. The doctors couldn’t immediately determine the babies’ sexes, but one fact was undeniable: Temitope was carrying four babies.
“I was terrified,” she recalls. “I kept wondering how I would manage carrying four babies at once. I remembered how difficult my first pregnancy was, and this was only my second.”
Ernest had always pictured a small family, but the unexpected news left them with no choice but to move forward, trusting they would find a way.
Last Thursday, the couple welcomed four premature baby girls, delivered by caesarean section at seven months’ gestation at the National Hospital. Because they arrived early, the newborns were placed in incubators to help stabilise them during their first fragile days.
“It’s been overwhelming,” Ernest admits. “Raising one child in Nigeria is already hard. Now imagine four newborns at the same time. Everything we’re responsible for has suddenly multiplied.”
Ernest works as a civil defender in Ogun State, while Temitope is a teacher at a private school in Abuja. The family currently lives in a modest two-bedroom apartment with their young son — a space doctors say is no longer suitable for their expanded household.
“The doctors told us plainly that our apartment won’t work anymore,” Ernest says. “They advised we need separate rooms — one for the babies, one for caregivers, and one for us.”
Beyond housing, transportation is another concern. Their small car barely meets their current needs, and hiring caregivers for the quadruplets will add to their financial strain.
“In any way people can help us, we will truly appreciate it,” Ernest says.
Although the birth of quadruplets came as a shock, Temitope notes that multiple births run in both sides of her family. Her maternal grandmother had twins twice, though none survived — a loss she attributes to limited access to proper healthcare at the time.
Quadruplets remain extremely rare, far less common than twins or triplets. While fertility treatments have increased the number of multiple births worldwide, the Amodu girls were conceived naturally — making their arrival even more remarkable.
Unlike some families where the pressure of multiple births leads to separation, Ernest says his faith anchored him.
“As a Christian, I believe God never gives a challenge without also providing the strength to endure it,” he says.
When early scans first suggested that their expected twins were actually four babies, both parents had to return to the hospital together for confirmation.
Now, despite the fear and uncertainty, their focus is clear: raising their children.
“I honestly can’t do this alone,” Temitope admits. “Just thinking about it feels overwhelming. But I believe God will send us help. He gives children with purpose, and He will make a way.”
Looking back, Temitope says the only thing she might have wished for differently was a mix of boys and girls. During pregnancy, scans were inconclusive, so the couple prepared for both.
“In the end, they’re all girls — and I’m happy,” she says, laughing. “At some point I told God, ‘Let Your will be done.’ And honestly, I think four girls at once might be easier than four boys, especially after seeing how energetic my son is.”
