A 70-year-old woman who gave birth to twins after undergoing IVF said their father left when he found out she was having two children.
Safina Namukwaya gave birth to a boy and a girl at Women’s Hospital International and Fertility Centre on Wednesday afternoon, becoming the oldest woman to give birth in Africa, according to the hospital.
In an interview ahead of the delivery, Namukwaya said the children’s father had not visited her since she arrived at the hospital.
“Men don’t like to be told that you are carrying more than one child,” she said in the interview published on social media.
“Ever since I was admitted here, my man has never showed up,” she continued. “[My doctor] has provided for everything, as though he is the father of the children.”
Namukwaya said that she chose to undergo IVF following an incident when she was assaulted in her neighborhood, and she later had a miscarriage.
“I cared for other people’s children, and I would see them grow and leave me alone,” she explained. “I wondered who would care for me after you become very elderly.”
When asked if she felt ready to care for the babies, Namukwaya told the interviewer that she “really doesn’t know”
“God is in charge,” she said.
“You see, you can have one child and feel overwhelmed, but here I am with twins at a time when I am weak,” Namukwaya added. “At a time I am unable to go to my garden to grow food to share. I don’t know. But they say every child comes with their blessings.”
Following the birth, the hospital said Namukwaya and the babies were all well.