VIDEO: Ugandan 70-Year-old Woman Gives Birth to Twins

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Ms Safiina Namukwaya, a resident of Masaka District, gave birth yesterday to a boy and a girl each weighing 1.7kgs at the Women’s Hospital International Fertility Centre in Kampala where she had been for five days in preparation for delivery in a private room.

Namukwaya managed to carry the pregnancy to 31 weeks, until five days ago when she was admitted to a women’s hospital. The doctors embarked to admit and monitor her in preparation for a C-section delivery given her age coupled with being a multiple pregnancy.

First pregnancy

Namukwaya became the oldest new mum in Uganda after she delivered by c-section to a baby girl at Maasaka Regional Referral Hospital in June 2020. This was after 47 years of endless search for a baby.

Namukwaya first got married at the age of 15, in 1973. She conceived and carried her pregnancy up to 22 weeks. When she suffered a miscarriage, she did not conceive again.

Although she continued to be baffled with severe painful menstrual cramps after nine years, she was diagnosed with blocked fallopian tubes and was treated at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital. Her health stabilized, the painful menstrual cramps disappeared and she gained weight but sadly, she tried to conceive in vain.

One of her babies in an Incubator

Unable to withstand the humiliation of a childless marriage, Namukwaya’s husband decided to marry another woman and got several children.

Although Namukwaya’s in-laws constantly despised her because of being barren, her husband loved and respected her because of her good behaviour. Namukwaya did not think of divorce, instead took on the role of caring for her co-wives’ children.
“The idea of not conceiving and having my children constantly troubled me Put I could not do much since I did not have money to seek treatment,” Namukwaya said.

Sadly, her husband suddenly fell sick and died after a week. Still, Namukwaya did not abandon her matrimonial home. She stayed around Luckily, after her husband, death, Namukwaya got into a relationship with her current husband she immediately disclosed her failure to bear children to her new lover who accepted to marry her regardless of her barrenness.

Namukwaya left her late husband’s home for her new husband, Badru Walusimbi, who built her home.

The couple Men embarked on the search for the baby Lucki, while Namukwaya shared with her friend about her failure to conceive and she was advised to seek medical help at the women’s hospital.

The friend assured Namukwaya that after receiving fertility treatment, she would be able to conceive. Later, she directed Namukwaya to the fertility centre.

In July 2018, Narnukwaya visited the fertility centre where she was examined and diagnosed with a blockage in fallopian tubes.

She was started on treatment and later conceived through In Vitro fertility treatment (IVO)

In Vitro, fertility treatment is where there is a fusion between sperm and the woman’s eggs in a test tube to form a fertilised egg (embryo). The embryo is later transferred into her uterus through the cervix.

VIDEO CREDIT NTV

On November 9, 2019, five embryos were transferred into Namukwaya’s womb. In November, she took a pregnancy test and the results showed that she had conceived on the first attempt.

On December 9, an ultrasound scan was done and results confirmed she was six weeks pregnant with one baby. The couple was overjoyed after the pregnancy test turned positive.

Immediately after Namukwaya conceived, she started experiencing pregnancy signs of morning sickness, not to mention being picky with food. When the pregnancy progressed to 19 weeks, on March 20, 2020, she started attending her antenatal care at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.

She could not travel to the women’s hospital because of the long distance. The situation was worsened by the COVID-19 lockdown. So she had no option except to continue going to Masaka Hospital for antenatal care.

Unfortunately, when Namukyawa’s pregnancy clacked 34 weeks, she developed complications and was admitted to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital. Her blood pressure shot and her body was swollen with an extremely extended abdomen that gave her a lot of discomfort. She also had difficulty breathing coupled with an irritating cough.

To save her life and that of the baby, Namukwaya was delivered at 36 weeks and through Bi-section. Her baby girl weighed 2.6kg. Namukwaya, first daughter Nantem Isha Sarah is now three years old.

Search for another baby

Late last year (2022), Namukwaya, together with her husband, visited the women’s hospital in Bukoto in search of another baby. Tests were done and luckily, early this year, Namukwaya was helped to conceive through Invitro fertility (IVF) treatment without challenges.

Although she is of advanced age, Nakukwaya explains why she decided to have more babies. ‘I decided to have more children given that having one baby is risky. It is like having one stick of matches; she said. At the time of the interview, Namukyawa’s husband, Badru Walusimbi, was not at the health facility.

Cost of babies

Namukwaya and Walusimbi did not have a budget for fertility treatment for the first pregnancy. However, they paid in instalments for every treatment phase that she received. By the time of delivery, the couple had paid sh37m and the remaining shillings of three million were cleared later.

Last year Namukwaya was set to have more babies but she could not raise money to pay for 1VF, luckily, the hospital rendered her free services.

Call for support

Namukwaya calls upon Good Samaritans for support to care for the babies given that she is financially constrained.
“It is going to be difficult to take care of these babies because I have not worked throughout pregnancy,” she said.

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