One Ugandan woman has been told by doctors that she is no longer allowed to have any more children after having already given birth to over 40 children.
Mariam Nabatanzi has been called “the world’s most fertile woman” by locals.
However, now it looks like doctors have attempted to put a stop to her having any more children, according to a report by Australia 7 News .
Nabatanzi’s life story has garnered attention worldwide as she works tirelessly to support her substantial family.
Nabatanzi’s upbringing was full of tragedy.
Nabatanzi was sold into marriage at the age of 12, and one year later had her first children at the age of 13 when she gave birth to twins.
However, that is far from where Nabatanzi’s tragedies began.
As a child, her mother abandoned her and her five siblings.
After Nabatanzi’s mother left her and her family, her stepmother eventually poisoned all of her siblings by putting broken up glass into their food.
The only reason Nabatanzi survived was because she was away visiting relatives.
As she told the New York Post , “I was seven years old then, too young to even understand what death actually meant. I was told by relatives what had happened.”
Nabatanzi was warned by doctors to not use contraception.
When she was younger, Nabatanzi had visited a doctor to see what forms of birth control she could take.
The doctor informed her that she had unusually large ovaries and that birth control could cause her problems.
When Nabatanzi did actually try employing birth control measures, she experienced severe health complications and had to stop.
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Dr. Chales Kiggundu gave some insight into why this going on.
As he told News 7: “You find that some of the women have the potential of having between 10 to 12 eggs that come at the beginning of the month […] some of them have the potential to have more than one fertilization take place.”
Some of Nabatanzi’s children are sadly no longer with her.
Six of Nabatanzi’s children have tragically died, leaving 38 of 44 alive.
Nabatanzi has, at present, had four sets of twins, five sets of triplets and five quadruplets.
The children’s father is no longer around to offer any help.
Nabatanzi’s husband, who would often spend long times apart from the family, recently abandoned them.
Since he abandoned the family, Nabatanzi only refers to the children’s father with an expletive, as his name is now a curse for the family.
She told the New York Post : “I have grown up in tears, my man has passed me through a lot of suffering. All my time has been spent looking after my children and working to earn some money.”
Nabatanzi works a variety of jobs in order to support her family.
In order to provide for her large family, Nabatanzi has turned her hand to a wide variety of careers including the likes of hairdresser, event decorator, selling herbal remedies, selling scrap metal, and more.
The children all do a bit to help their mother out with chores like cooking, cleaning, and making sure their siblings have clothes to wear for the day.
Despite the challenges she faces, Nabatanzi loves her family.
“I can’t say they are nagging because they are my children. I can’t say I will abandon them because they are my children and I love them,” she told News 7.
The family live in a small village of four cramped houses north of Kampala, where they are surrounded by coffee fields.
Some children sleep in bunk beds, some huddled together on mattresses, and others on the floor.
Nabatanzi only wants for her children to go to school.
For Nabatanzi, her children getting a proper education is of paramount importance; however, due to their challenging circumstances, a steady education can be difficult.
The eldest child of Nabatanzi, 23-year-old Ivan Kibuka, had to drop out of secondary school due to depleted funds.
“Mom is overwhelmed, the work is crushing her, we help where we can, like in cooking and washing, but she still carries the whole burden for the family. I feel for her,” he said.
It is hard to imagine the amount of pressure Nabatanzi is under.
Every day, she must be prepared and organized to ensure that her large family of 38 are all fed and clothed properly. It is uncertain what the future will hold for Nabatanzi and her family, but she is grateful for every one of her children.
h/t: New York Post & News 7
