A seventy-year-old woman gave birth to twins. About motherhood late in life
Safina Namukwaya went down in the history of medicine as the oldest mother in Africa. The seventy-year-old welcomed twins into the world. The unique birth took place at the Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Center (WHI&FC). “We pay tribute to this brave mother and (…) we invite you to celebrate together. Her story is (…) a story about the strength and resilience of the human spirit,” we read in a statement from the facility.
The seventy-year-old is already raising a three-year-old daughter. However, she dreamed of having more children. She underwent an in vitro procedure. An anonymous donor’s egg cell was fertilized by sperm collected from Safina’s husband. The embryo was then introduced into the woman’s uterine cavity. The procedure was successful and the senior woman gave birth to two healthy children by cesarean section
The unusual birth of twins and the difficult path to motherhood
The babies were born on November 29, 2023. They were born in the 31st week of pregnancy. They are currently in incubators. According to doctors from Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Center (WHI&FC), their condition is stable. Safina is also feeling well. “I’m 70 years old. Most people see me as a weak, infirm woman and incapable of getting pregnant. He thinks that I am unable to take care of the child, but a miracle happened with the twins,” admitted the new mother in one of the interviews.
Her path to motherhood was not easy. She had been trying to get pregnant for over 40 years. Unsuccessfully. She was stigmatized and ridiculed because she was childless. “Many people judged me and called me names. However, I decided to leave everything in the hands of Almighty God, who finally answered my prayers,” she said. Safina gave birth to her first child at the age of 67 – a daughter, Sarah. Now the girl has a sister and a brother. The second pregnancy was a big challenge for the woman, not only for biological but also psychological reasons. The senior woman could not count on her husband’s support. The man also did not visit her after giving birth.
Doctors from Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Center (WHI&FC) say that the birth of twins is a medical phenomenon. “This is a historic event (…) In our (Uganda – editor’s note) culture, the pain of childlessness is always experienced very deeply and strongly. Safina’s success becomes a light of hope for other women trying to conceive,” emphasize specialists from WHI&FC.
Motherhood at a mature age
The case of Safina Namukwaya is shocking, but the seventy-year-old is not the first woman who decided to become a mother at a very mature age. The oldest mother in the world is Erramatti Mangayamma from India, who gave birth to twins at the age of 74. The children were conceived using the in vitro method.
A few years ago, Barbara Sienkiewicz became famous in Poland, an actress known for her roles in “Klan”, “M jak miłość”, “Ranczo” and “Na dobre i na evil”, among others. However, late motherhood brought her the greatest popularity – the actress welcomed twins at the age of almost 60. The media hailed her as the oldest mother in Poland.
