There is no definitive number on how many children a woman might have in her life, with the average fertility rate varying from country to country. According to the World Bank, the lowest fertility rate — which stands for average births per woman — is in South Korea, with 0.9, while the highest is 6.8 in Niger.
In contrast, Mariam Nabatanzi from Uganda has given birth to 44 children by the age of 39, leaving 38 children since six have died.
Her story came to the fore in 2019 when it was revealed that the then-39-year-old had given birth to so many children and had even been banned from having any more.
Her large number of children is due to a medical condition called hyperovulation, which means that she has a genetic predisposition to release multiple eggs at the same time, which increases her chances of getting pregnant. In fact, most of her kids were born as either twins, triplets or quadruplets. As a result, she has been called the “world’s most fertile woman.”
She also began having children very early, as she was married off to a man four times her senior at the age of 12. She became pregnant soon after and gave birth to her first set of twins when she was only 13 years old.
Nabatanzi’s life has not been an easy one, and she works multiple jobs to care for her large family after her husband left her. Her biggest wish is for her children to study and go on to have a happier life than she has. Let’s take a look at her story.
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At the age of 12, Mariam Nabatanzi from Uganda was married to a man who was around four times her age. Soon after, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first set of twins when she was only 13 years old. In the years that followed, Mariam fell pregnant with five more sets of twins, four sets of triplets and five sets of quadruplets. By the age of 36, she had given birth to 44 children, according to 7 News; however, six of them did not survive, leaving her with 38 children in total.
Nabatanzi actually only wanted six children, but due to a rare genetic condition, she kept getting pregnant with twins, triplets and quadruplets. According to The Sun, gynecologist Charles Kiggundu described Mariam’s case as a “genetic predisposition to hyper-ovulate — releasing multiple eggs in one cycle — which significantly increases the chance of having multiple births. It is always genetic.”
Nabatanzi’s 38 children are the most important thing in her life. In order to provide for her large family after her husband left her following the birth of her most recent set of twins, she has three jobs. She works cutting people’s hair, decorating for events and collecting discarded metal that she later sells. Apart from that, she also makes and sells her own gin as well as herbal medicine. Almost all of the money she earns is spent on food, clothes, medical care and education for her children. Speaking with Reuters, she said:
“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 wants her children to have a better life and has done a lot to give them the opportunity to go to school and start their own life. She has pictures on the wall of all of her children who graduated from school. But caring for all of her kids began to be too much for her, especially after her husband left. Since she needed more help she eventually had to make one of the older children drop out of school to support the family.
Ivan Kibuka, 23, Nabatanzi’s eldest son said, according to The Sun:
“Mum 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.”
The family lives in four tiny houses made from cement bricks and iron roofs. Some of the children sleep on metal bunk beds, while others sleep on the floor with mattresses or directly on the dirt floor. All of the children who are still living with their mother help out with the chores, rotating the cooking and washing duties. A message in one of their tiny homes reads: “On Saturday, we all work together.”
Nabatanzi hasn’t had an easy life, but her only wish is both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time — she just wants her children to be happy, as she hasn’t felt much joy in her life. As reported by Reuters, Nabatanzi said:
“I started taking on adult responsibilities at an early stage. I have not had joy, I think, since I was born.”
What do you think about Mariam Nabatanzi’s story? Despite her circumstances, her love for children is truly inspiring. Pass this on to those you know, and ask for their opinions.
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