54-year-old mother of 14 delivers another child

A 54-year-old resident of Kibaale district has given birth to a baby, 16 years since her last (14th) birth.

Farazia Akankwasa delivered by the roadside en route to Kagadi Hospital - some 40km away from her home - but her placenta got stuck inside her womb.

So her relatives who were with her at the time had to rush her to the health facility to have the life-threatening placenta removed.

Oliver Sabiiti, a senior midwife at the hospital, handled Akankwasa - with success.

"I rushed to the maternity ward at Kagadi Hospital after receiving information that an elderly woman had been admitted after delivering on the way," she told New Vision.

"When I examined her I found out that the placenta was still stuck inside her womb and tried my level best to render the necessary assistance until it came out."

She said the baby, weighing 2.5kg, is breastfeeding normally and the mother is recovering.

"The mother is not yet fine. We are still administering some treatment because she has some swollen body parts like the legs and face, I think because she has been anaemic with poor health conditions and poor feeding habits in the village."

Pregnancy after menopause?

In most women's lives, menopause sets in when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to have children naturally.

According to Wikipedia.org, menopause typically occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, so it should not be so surprising that Akankwasa got pregnant at 54.

But strangely, she had not had her menstrual periods for eight years, until April last year.

"I was surprised to experience my monthly periods in April last year and I didn't know that I would be pregnant again. I would feel some discomfort in my stomach and didn't go for any antenatal services because I never expected any pregnancy."

Her husband, Francis Byaruhanga, was equally surprised.

"I never expected my wife to conceive because I believed she had reached menopause. I used to take her to health centers for just treatment of some illnesses such as malaria and typhoid without knowing she was pregnant.

"I didn't take her for any antenatal medical checkup as I could not expect any pregnancy," he said.

Angelina Tushemerirwe, the couple's daughter who is taking care of Akankwasa inside the maternity ward, said they were born 14 and eight of her siblings died of a mysterious disease eight years ago.