Woman Gives Birth to Twins at 70: ‘Every Child Comes with Their Blessing'

Safina Namukwaya, a woman from Uganda, Africa, conceived twins, a boy and a girl, through IVF and birthed them at 70 years old. Although born prematurely, her children are stable under medical professionals' supervision.

Motherhood, for many, is the most important role a woman can play. It is also a fulfilling and rewarding feeling to watch a child grow. Unfortunately, not all women get the chance to become mothers in their lifetime.

Safina Namukwaya was fortunate enough to have experienced motherhood, although late into her life. She recently made headlines as one of the oldest women to give birth to a child, blessed with not one but two infants.

Namukwaya says it was a miracle for her to deliver children at her age. More than being a win for the medical field, the rare occurrence showed a woman's resilience, willpower, and strength amidst challenging circumstances.

Namukwaya is undoubtedly over the moon to have successfully given birth as one of the oldest women to do so. However, she welcomed her babies alone as her partner left her after learning she had twins.

Having wanted to have offspring, Namukwaya sought the help of doctors to conceive a child at 70 after trying to get pregnant. Admittedly, becoming a child was no easy feat. In the process of trying to get pregnant, she fell ill and nearly drained her savings for medical care.

When her doctor contacted Dr. Edward Tamale Sali, a fertility specialist at the Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in Kampala, Uganda, for treatment to get pregnant, Namukwaya told him financial resources were scarce. Still, he organized transportation for her to travel. She said:

"I was brought here by a friend who got a baby through the same procedure, and she assured me that I'll be able to get a child after trying for a long time."

The doctors used her partner's sperm and a donor's egg to perform in-vitro fertilization until she eventually became pregnant. On November 29, 2023, at 12:04 p.m., Namukwaya gave birth to a baby boy and a baby girl via caesarian. Both arrived prematurely at 31 weeks and needed incubation under Dr. Sali's care. Fortunately, both infants are stable.

Namukwaya is undoubtedly over the moon to have successfully given birth as one of the oldest women to do so. However, she welcomed her babies alone as her partner left her after learning she had twins. "Men don't like to be told that you are carrying more than one child," she said. "Ever since I was admitted here, my man has never showed up."

Nevertheless, her happiness as a mother remained. Namukwaya, who welcomed a daughter in 2020, said she was mocked for having no children. The doting mom was once married and experienced a miscarriage. Then, in 1992, tragedy struck when her husband passed away.

Although she watched over the kids around her, they eventually grew up and left or went back to their parents. Namukwaya began to wonder who would be by her side as she aged.

She knew she was past the age bracket of naturally conceiving, but fortunately, the advances in medicine have made it possible for her to bear a child. Namukwaya is also well aware that her age puts her at a disadvantage in caring for young ones. Still, she believes that every child is and comes with a blessing.

Dr. Sali believes that conceiving a child at such age is possible, but it is a woman's physical ability and strength that becomes a determining factor. The doctor personally oversaw Namukwaya's IVF procedure and pregnancy, as well as cared for the children before birth.

The Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre shared the wonderful news on Facebook as they celebrated their 20th anniversary with the "extraordinary" event. Many have also celebrated Namukwaya's achievement as a parent of three, taking their thoughts and well-wishes to the comments section.

Several miracles happen to mothers who go through unique births. In a similar story, Dominika Clarke gave birth to quintuplets prematurely at 28 weeks. She was already a mother to seven children, four of who were two sets of twins. Clarke now has a dozen children under her wing.