A 70-year-old woman from Uganda, Safina Namukwaya, is making headlines as one of the oldest mothers, as she recently gave birth to twins via cesarean at a fertility centre in the city of Kampala.
According to the BBC, Namukwaya, who welcomed a baby boy and girl, expressed her joy, calling the birth a “miracle.”
The Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre (WHI&FC) in Kampala, where the delivery took place, joined in the celebration, emphasising that it goes beyond “medical success; it’s about the strength and resilience of the human spirit.”
Sharing the remarkable achievement on their Facebook page, the WHI&FC wrote, “We’ve achieved the extraordinary—delivering twins to Africa’s oldest mother, aged 70!”
Dr Edward Tamale Sali, a fertility specialist at the hospital, revealed that the mother underwent In-Vitro fertilisation (IVF) using a donor egg and her partner’s sperm. The twins were born prematurely at 31 weeks but are currently in stable condition, being cared for in incubators.
Meanwhile, Namukwaya said that her pregnancy journey was challenging, especially since her partner abandoned her upon learning she was expecting twins instead of just one.
“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 shown up,” she said.
This isn’t Ms Namukwaya’s first experience with motherhood. Just three years ago, she gave birth to a baby girl. She explained that her desire to have children stemmed from societal pressures.
“I looked after people’s children and saw them grow up and leave me alone,” she said. “I wondered who would take care of me when I grew old.”
