A 70-year-old Ugandan woman gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, on Wednesday. An “extraordinary feat” according to the doctor who supervised her pregnancy and childbirth. The mother and babies are in good health and are still under observation at a facility in the capital Kampala.
A 70-year-old Ugandan woman has given birth to twins, “an extraordinary feat”, her doctor told AFP on Thursday. “It’s an extraordinary feat to give birth to twins” for a 70-year-old mother, said Dr. Edward Tamale Sali, who supervised her pregnancy and delivery.
The mother, Safina Namukwaya, described the birth of the twins, a boy and a girl, as a “miracle” on Wednesday.
Healthy mothers and babies
The mother and babies are in good health and are still under observation in a facility in the capital Kampala, continued Edward Tamale Sali. Safina Namukwaya usually lives in rural Masaka, about 120 kilometers west of the capital.
At 70 years old, Safina Namukwaya delivers twins today:@WHIFCug Sets African Record! Celebrating our 20th anniversary, we’ve achieved the extraordinary – delivering twins to Africa’s oldest mother aged 70! This a historic event#Uganda#pregnancy#ivf#fertilitypic.twitter.com/gY8K9M91cS
— Women’s Hospital Int (@WHIFCug) November 29, 2023
The septuagenarian only gave birth to a daughter three years ago, after being described as a “cursed woman” for not having previously managed to have children.
With her first husband, who died in 1992, she had no children. Safina Namukwaya’s current partner, whom she met in 1996, however, did not come to attend the birth, much to her dismay. “Maybe he is not happy that I gave birth to twins… for fear of the responsibilities that come with it,” she said.