After seven years of waiting, 39 year old Joyce Akhimien and her husband, DSP Bright Akhimien from Edo State, born six pikins, AKA sextuplet: four boys and two girls on 12 January, 2021 for Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Joyce Akhimien wey be housewife say she no expect say bin she go born six pikins at once as di doctor tell her say na multiple babies dey inside her.
Na for di point of delivery as di nurses and doctor dey count di pikins as dem dey bring dem out, naim dem know say na six pikins dey.
“Me no know exactly how many pikins dey inside and di sex of di pikins because wen we do scan, sometimes dis one go cover di oda one so sometimes we go see two, sometimes three. So di doctor just tell us to prepare for multiple babies. So as dem dey bring dem out dem dey count: baby one na girl, baby two, na boy you know till baby six! I surprise! I say, ah! Na so God dey? In fact I no get words to take describe how I feel.” na so Joyce tok.
Although dem lose one of di girls a day after birth, dem still dey full of thanks to God wey bless dem like dis.
“Dat first time I see dem, I dey excited. I happy to be a mother for di very first time because all di expectations, all di hopes we don lose, to come out to see dis marvelous thing, not one, not two? I no fit imagine am, e be like dream as I ask myself, na me dis tin dey happen to? say I carry dis number of pikins? Na tears of joy wey I no fit express di joy fully. I just thank God.”
‘After seven years journey of broken expectations, God remember me’
Wen Joyce and Bright Akhimien marry on 11 January 2014 dem dey full of expectations. Even as a police officer, anywia dem transfer am go, im wife dey follow am, so dem no get anytime wey dem live separately.
One year after marriage, Joyce say she get belle born a baby boy but di pikin die one day after birth. After dat one, she expect say she go born pikin again but notin happen; no belle, no miscarriage.
Sha add say throughout di period of waiting, her husband support her and she no get any heat from am, but she face pressure from family members as di African thinking na say wen couples dey face dis kain challenge, na di woman dem dey always point finger at.
“E get one time, I travel go our village for festivities. One family member born so I go visit her. As I wan carry di pikin, she just turn her back shade me, carry di pikin comot. Kai! Dat one pain me. I go house go cry.”
‘Di first IVF I do naim bring dis pikins so’
Mrs. Akhimien say na for di third year of dia marriage, pipo begin raise concern.
Dem sef get concern so dem begin do medical investigations.
“All di tests we do show say both of us dey ok. Many pipo give us plenty advice make we pray, do fasting, go spiritual house, plenty advise, but we put am for God hand. Not until our sixth year wey we meet our doctor, Dr. Eze Im look my case come ask me to do all di tests I don do before and I do am.
E come suggest make we do IVF. We take time go find di money because e dey expensive o, but I thank God say di first IVF I do naim dey successful so.”
To dey pregnant during coronavirus
For Bright Akhimien, papa of di sextuplet, im say im no too put mind wen im wife tell am say she dey pregnant because im no wan dey disappointed.
“Wen she tell me say see o, di pregnancy test dey positive o. I say I don hear, thinking say na old story. Di first month pass, di second month pass, not until di third month before I begin get confidence say, God don do am, dis one don come to stay.”
As for di number of pikin dem dey expect, Bright Akhimien say di doctor only tell am to go look for money because di pikin dem pass one. Na di day im wife born e know say na six pikins come out.
Joyce Akhimien thank God say all through di pregnancy, she no get any serious health issue as she still dey waka and do evritin she suppose do.
Di lockdown wey Goment declare sake of di coronavirus give dem concern but her doctor give her diet of wetin she go chop and her medications. So after dem lift di lockdown, she go go check wit her doctor but she thank God she no get any complications.
“Di lockdown give us concern but we decide to take am easy as e come. Na challenge to go antenatal from here Akpajo [Eleme LGA] to Rukpokwu [Obio Akpo LGA] – di distance far. Di only tin be say after four months, my doctor put me on special diet wey I obey. But instead I go add weight I lose weight, but I fit waka witout any problem. For night di only problem na to find comfortable position to sleep, so sometimes I go sidon raise my leg sleep small, apart from dat I no get any problem. I just follow di diet and medication di doctor give me.
No relent, do medical investigations
For pipo wey still dey wait for di time dem go carry dia own pikin, Joyce and Bright Akhimien say make dem no relent, make dem try medical investigations as wetin one doctor no see, anoda doctor fit see am.
Joyce Akhimien say, “some pipo feel say na only pipo wey do abortion before or live anyhow dey get infertility issue, no be so. Any pesin fit get issue. And for women, as dia age dey go, make dem try do regular medical checks so dem fit catch any issue on time, no leave am till e become a complicated matter.”
Bright Akhimien add say “as dem dey pray to God, make dem also follow up wit medical investigation and follow di advice of doctors and God go do di rest.”
