KARACHI, March 19 Quadruplets were born to a 27-year-old mother of three at the Civil Hospital Karachi on Friday.

Nasreen Francis, whose newborns — three boys and a girl — were said to be in a stable condition, gave birth to twin boys five years ago. She had her first baby — a girl — when she was around 20.

On Friday the babies were born at 34 weeks' gestation and weighed between 1.3 kilos and 1.5 kilos, said Dr Ghufrana Memon, the head of the gynaecology and obstetrician unit-I of the hospital.

She said that while one of the babies was with its mother, the other three had been kept in intensive care in view of their suckling and respiratory problems.

Doctors at the gynaecology and obstetrician unit said both the parents were overcome with joy. The mother planned a pregnancy some time after having the twins, said one of the doctors.

Dr Ghufrana Memon said that according to an earlier diagnosis conducted at the hospital about two weeks ago the mother was expected to give birth to three babies. In the event, she gave birth to quadruplets through a normal delivery. However, the doctor added, the babies were under weight due to malnutrition of the mother during her pregnancy.

Dr Nazia Shaikh from the CHK paediatric unit said that the babies were normal despite being under weight. “Since they are being given special care, any statement about their stability or normal response could be made after two days or so,” she said. She added that the baby living with its mother in the gynaecology unit was also under weight and needed extra care.

The father of the quadruplets, Francis John, a resident of Railway Colony, works at a call centre. He now has seven children.

While Mr John could not be contacted, his brother Riaz said that the family was delighted. The mother did not develop any complication, which was good for the family with meagre resources, he said, adding that the Creator would bless the babies further with good health like their elder siblings who study in a school.

Dr Memon said she did not know if quadruplets had been born at the CHK in the past.

“The odds of conceiving quadruplets are about one in 800,000. The delivery was remarkable in that not only all babies were delivered live in normal procedures but also the mother is well.”