70-year-old woman becomes one of world’s oldest mums after giving birth to twins
A 70-year-old woman has become one of the world’s oldest mums after giving birth to twins, saying her new arrivals are a ‘miracle’.
Safina Namukwaya, from Uganda, gave birth via C-section to a baby boy and baby girl on 29 November at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala.
At 70 years old, she has become one of the world’s oldest mums - with the hospital also dubbing her ‘Africa’s oldest mother’.
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She managed to get pregnant through IVF treatment using donor eggs and her partner’s sperm, having previously said she wanted to have kids after being mocked for being childless.
Namukwaya - who is also mum to a daughter born in 2020 - told Uganda's Daily Monitor newspaper: "I looked after people's children and saw them grow up and leave me alone. I wondered who would take care of me when I grow old."
She added that her partner left her after finding out they were expecting twins.
Thankfully, both Namukwaya and her babies are doing well, and while the twins are in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit after being born premature at 31 weeks - weighing just 3lbs each - the family’s fertility specialist Dr Edward Tamale Sali said they are ‘just fine’.
Announcing the ‘extraordinary’ news on Facebook, the hospital said in a statement: “Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre Sets African Record!
“Celebrating our 20th anniversary, we've achieved the extraordinary - delivering twins to Africa's oldest mother aged 70!
“This historic event, a baby boy and girl, not only marks our two decades of leadership in IVF, but also sets us apart as the premier fertility centre in Africa.
“Namukwaya delivered her babies today on Wednesday 29th November at 12:04pm. Mother and babies are all well.”
In an interview with TODAY, Namukwaya said she feels ‘great’, and planned to have locals help out with the babies due to her ‘advanced age’.
“Some might argue that 70 years is old, but God decided that I get to have twins at 70,” she told the outlet via a translator.
“There is no one that can put a limit on God’s authority and power."
The twins are now in incubators being looked after in the NICU unit.
Jess Hardiman