Quintuplet baby dies of sepsis

MANILA, Philippines – After five days of fighting for her life, Melody Frances, one of the five quintuplets born at the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC) in Manila, died of neo-natal sepsis last Saturday night.       

Melody was the third of the five quintuplets born to couple Lorita and Gary Fernandez of Dasmariñas, Cavite last April 26. 

The surviving babies are kept at the neo-natal intensive care unit of JRMMC.

The eldest was named Korina Ysabel, followed by Maria Lorelaine, Melody Frances, Sarah Erika and Wena Mavinia.

According to Dr. Katherine Calulot-Gamboa, a resident pediatrician at JRMMC, Melody Frances had developed an infection and eventually died last Saturday night.           

An infant’s neo-natal sepsis is believed to have been acquired from the mother if it developed 24 days after birth.          

“Infants born prematurely are really high risk for infection, especially the quintuplets. They were five in the womb of their mother and they shared nutrients,” Gamboa said in Filipino. 

Sarah Erika, who was born the weakest, became stronger, with her condition improving. She was recently removed from the respirator and is now just hooked to an oxygen tank.    

The condition of Wena Mavinia, on the other hand, has deteriorated, prompting doctors to pull her out of oxygen and transfer her to a respirator.       

Dr. Vanessa Jambaes, another JRMMC resident pediatrician, noted that the four other babies are not yet out of danger. 

Jambaes added that they are “immuno-compromised,” having been born prematurely and extremely underweight. The infants each weighed from 1 to 1.4 kilos and were one to two months short of a full term.