Kabimbiri village, Mukono
District in Uganda has given
birth to 38 children.
Villagers have given the mother, Mariam Nabatanzi Babirye, the
nickname of Nalongo Muzaala Bana, which means
"the twin mother who
produces quadruplets."
In what must be some sort of
record, Mariam has six sets of
twins, four sets of triplets,
three sets of quadruplets and
two single births.
In a recent interview with a Ugandan daily, she said: "My father gave
birth to 45
children with different
women and [they] all came in
quintuplets, quadruplets,
twins and triplets."
Mariam says her father had
45 children, many of whom
came in quintuplets,
quadruplets and twins. Dr Charles Kiggundu, a
gynecologist at Mulago
Hospital confirms that Mariam may have taken after her father, as her
case may be genetic.
He said: "Her case is genetic
predisposition to hyper-
ovulate (releasing multiple
eggs in one cycle), which
significantly increases the
chance of having multiples." Mariam said she was married
off at an early age and she
gave birth for the first time
at the age of 13 to twins.
She said she sought medical
advice several times in a bid
to stop having children but
doctors advised her that since she produces so many eggs, it would be
dangerous to her health. However, Dr Kiggundu said
Mariam was not well advised,
because doctors could easily
have performed tubal ligation as a permanent method of contraception.
Moreover, Mariam has a non-
supportive husband who is
rarely there for her and her
children. Her eldest son,
Charles Musisi, 23, confirmed:
"Our siblings do not know what father looks like. I last
saw him when I was 13
years old and only briefly at
night because he rushed off
again." As a parting shot, Mariam advised parents to never sell their
children off to early marriage and men to look after their wives and
children
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