It was an overwhelming joy in St Ives Hospital, Lagos when a
53-year-old woman, (names withheld) was recently delivered of two
bouncing
baby boys.
The woman was conceived through Invitro Fertilisation,IVF,
after having struggled for over 20 years without a child.
IVF
is a process by which an egg is fertilised by sperm in the body. The
process involves monitoring a woman’s ovulatory process, removing ovum
or ova (egg or eggs) from the woman’s
ovariesand letting the sperm fertilise them in a fluid medium in a laboratory.
The fertilised egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient’s uterus (womb) after three to five days of being in the
incubator, with the intention of
establishing a successful pregnancy.
The
elated woman, who pleaded anonymity, probably for cultural reasons,
described it as “20 years of tensed waiting for her marriage to produce
fruits.”
The jubilant nursing mother and her husband said they were not after publicity but decided to speak to
the
press in order to encourage couple who are presently facing similar
challenges in their marriage, so they don’t give up, adding that it is
never too late for anyone.
She admitted that she has almost giving up when it was obvious that menopause had set in, but continued to exercise her
religious faith, until according to her, God directed her to St Ives Centre,
even when she was not having the required money to carry out the IVF circle.
“If
one is in a marriage for two – three years, and has no child to show
for it, as an African, there will be pressure, so mine was not
exceptional. Though my people respected my person, there were pressures
both from within and outside.
But l held on to God
because I’m a strong Christian and l know He never fails. I serve a
living God who is faithful despite our unfaithfulness.
“I heard about St. Ives just by chance. That was in September last year. Coincidentally, l did my
Masters programme
at Obafemi Awolowo University,OAU, very close to the hospital, and l
never knew this place existed. It was divine and all things work
together for those that love God.
“My advice to every woman
wanting fruit of the womb is that they should hold on to God and l pray
for them that their joy should come into
manifestation
soon. There is nothing impossible for God, it could be difficult with
man, but certainly not with God. If He can do mine at 53, it shows that
no case is concluded.
“For me, l see it as a reward of my past
shame. God has given me double glory, my two boys. It is more than a
miracle. And for the management of St Ives, l keep praying for them
because they are not after one’s money, if they were, l couldn’t have
registered.
“People used
to call me Big Mummy, but God has given me a new and better name, ‘mummy twins’. l am now a fulfilled woman,” she narrated.
Her
husband, who claimed to be four months older than his wife, said he
knew his wife at age 12 when they were in secondary school, but time and
space set them apart for separate marriages where the man was fortunate
to have children unlike the woman.
Fate however reunited them to become a happy family again, having known each other for over 40 years.
He
said the joy that the twins brought to the family had overridden their
past apprehension; trauma and agony all through the years of his wife’s
infertility, adding that she might have wept secretly on countless occasions.
“Today, all we are saying is
thank you God. My wife had fasted and prayed and l believed that is why you see her looking like under
sixteen now. I must confess that everybody is happy,” he said.
Reacting on the feat, Chief
Medical Director of St Ives Hospital, Babatunde Okewale said the hospital’s Fertility Unit adopts a success-oriented approach towards infertility, focusing on solution for infertile couples at an affordable cost, rather than doing endless investigation and tes
