The Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala, Uganda, proudly announced the groundbreaking birth of twins by a 70-year-old woman, Safina Namukwaya. The successful delivery, achieved through IVF treatment, makes Namukwaya the oldest woman in Africa to give birth.
The hospital shared the inspiring story on Facebook, emphasizing that beyond the medical achievement, it symbolizes the strength and resilience of the human spirit. Namukwaya, who underwent a caesarean delivery, welcomed a boy and a girl on Wednesday.
In an interview with the privately owned NTV channel, Namukwaya revealed that this marked her second delivery in three years, having given birth to a girl in 2020. Despite facing numerous challenges during her recent pregnancy, including the absence of the children’s father, Namukwaya expressed her joy at finally having the twins after enduring years of stigma and ridicule for being childless.
She candidly shared her experiences, mentioning the difficulties faced during the pregnancy and the abandonment by the children’s father, stating, “Men don’t like to be told that you are carrying more than one child. Ever since I was admitted here, my man has never showed up.”
Namukwaya acknowledged the uncertainties of raising the children at her age but conveyed her happiness at overcoming societal judgments. Recounting a past incident of ridicule, she said, “One time, a very young boy heckled at me saying I had been cursed by my mother to die without a child.” The birth of the twins stands as a testament to Namukwaya’s resilience and the remarkable progress in fertility treatments. – BBC News Africa
