‘Made all the hard days worth it’: Sextuplets reunite with Richmond NICU staff who brought them into the world
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- In 2017, a Richmond children's hospital successfully delivered its first-ever set of sextuplets. On Monday, those six babies -- which have since grown into six healthy kids -- returned to thank the staff that helped bring them into this world.
On May 11, 2017, Adaboye and Ajibola Taiwo welcomed six babies -- three girls and three boys -- into the world at the Children's Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The sextuplets' births came after the couple spent nearly two decades trying to conceive.
At the time, Ajibola was 30 weeks and two days pregnant. The newborn sextuplets -- the first-ever to be born at CHOR -- weighed between 1 pound, 10 ounces and 2 pounds, 15 ounces.
On Oct. 20, 2025, the now-8-year-old sextuplets returned to CHoR to visit with the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staff that took such good care of them and their mother, according to a Feb. 16 press release from the medical center.
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CHoR described their reunion with the Taiwos as emotional, sharing photos and video of the kids and their parents embracing staff members.
Taiwo sextuplet reunion in the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Taiwo sextuplet reunion in the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Taiwo sextuplet reunion in the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Nurse Jamie Burton during the Taiwo sextuplet reunion in the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Taiwo sextuplet reunion in the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Taiwo sextuplet reunion in the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Taiwo sextuplet reunion in the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
“It’s fun to see them this old and doing so well," said Dr. Russell Moores, the medical director of CHoR's NICU, during the reunion. "I can’t imagine having six kids at home of the same age, but the family seems to be doing great."
Preparing for the sextuplets' delivery was "a collaborative effort like no other," CHoR said in the release.
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The 40-person team assigned to care for the Taiwos was deeply invested in the Taiwos' journey from start to finish, as it required extraordinary preparation and coordination.
Photos of from shortly after the birth of the Taiwo sextuplets at the Childrens' Hospital of Richmond at VCU Health in 2017. (Photos: VCU Health)
Photos of from shortly after the birth of the Taiwo sextuplets at the Childrens' Hospital of Richmond at VCU Health in 2017. (Photos: VCU Health)
Several staffers who were involved in the sextuplets' care in 2017 spoke about how it felt to be part of something so rare and beautiful following the reunion, including nurses Jamie Buttermore and Jamie Burton.
“The delivery was meticulously planned and being there for such a significant moment was both incredibly exciting and deeply emotional,” Buttermore, who is now an assistant nurse manager within CHoR's NICU, said in the release.
Buttermore, who is now an assistant nurse manager within CHoR's NICU, was the primary nurse for the fifth sextuplet, Setemi.
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"It was an amazing experience to participate in the delivery, then continue caring for the baby and supporting the family as he grew stronger and eventually went home with his brothers and sisters," she said in the release. "Seeing him again eight years later was truly gratifying and a powerful reminder of why I love my job. Being able to talk with him, his parents and his siblings made all the hard days worth it."
Now-assistant nurse manager Julie Buttermore with the Taiwo sextuplet, Setemi, she cared for back in 2017. Photo taken during a reunion at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Nurse Jamie Burton with the Taiwo sextuplet, Funbi, she cared for back in 2017. Photo taken during a reunion at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's NICU on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photos: VCU Health)
Burton was the primary nurse for the fourth sextuplet, Funbi.
“It was such an honor to be part of the preparation for the sextuplets and then to be with Funbi for her entire journey in the delivery room to admitting her in the NICU and becoming her primary nurse during her stay in the NICU," Burton said. "I created such a lasting bond with this family that will be cherished forever."
According to CHoR, Burton actually came in on her day off to see the little girl she helped bring into this world again.
“I was so excited to hear they were coming back to the NICU for a reunion 8 years later," she said in the release. "I was so excited to see them and mom and dad. They looked amazing and are thriving! The joy on their faces made me so proud to be a NICU nurse."
To learn more about CHoR's NICU, click here.
