Online Reporter
Robin Muchetu
“IF you had seen me the morning after I gave birth, I was unrecognisable.”
Ms Tenica Mudenda (35) of Old Magwegwe, Bulawayo, is still coming to terms with the shock of delivering triplets she never knew she was carrying — a miracle birth that has thrust her family into a daily struggle for survival.
Expecting just one baby, Ms Mudenda walked into Mpilo Central Hospital on the night of October 19, last year with a single layette.
Hours later, she emerged the mother of three girls — Felistas, Felicity and Felicia.
“I was shocked at how I had delivered three babies. I lost a lot of weight suddenly. I had prepared for one child,” she said.
The surprise unfolded in the delivery room when midwives detected more than one heartbeat. Initially told she was carrying twins, Ms Mudenda was stunned when nurses instructed her to keep pushing.
“The first baby weighed 2 600g, the second 2 300g and the last one 1 600g. When they said another baby was coming, I could not believe it,” she said.
Ms Mudenda had not registered her pregnancy or attended antenatal classes — not out of choice, but because she could not afford the US$20 booking fee at Pelandaba Clinic.
“I went there intending to register, but when I was told the amount, I went back home. We had no money, so I just waited until labour pains started,” she said.
Despite arriving at Mpilo Central Hospital unbooked, she was attended to by medical staff, for which she remains grateful.
But the challenges intensified after her discharge.
With little food and inadequate nutrition, Ms Mudenda struggled to breastfeed and began giving the triplets thin porridge when they were barely two weeks old.
“I could not produce enough milk. They eat very thin mealie-meal porridge,” she said.
The family has not yet managed to secure birth certificates for the triplets, as their immediate survival takes precedence.
“I have absolutely nothing in the house. Whatever donation I receive, I accept. There is nothing here,” said Ms Mudenda.
Her two older children, aged 14 and eight, are staying with relatives in Binga, while she and her husband live in a single rented room in Old Magwegwe. Her husband earns what he can from sporadic menial jobs.
“We had no bed. We slept on the floor and sometimes there is no food at all. Paying rentals is a struggle,” said Ms Mudenda.
Nights are especially draining, as the babies wake at different times, leaving her to juggle feeding, bathing and soothing them on her own.
“I had bought clothes for one baby. The triplets had to share.
“One was always wrapped in a blanket because there were not enough clothes,” she said.
Though she has no known history of twins in her family, she said her husband’s sisters are twins.
Despite everything, she has embraced her situation with gratitude.
“I was happy. I accepted it as a gift from God, even though the burden feels too heavy,” said Ms Mudenda.
Moved by her plight, neighbours in Old Magwegwe have rallied around the family.
A Good Samaritan donated blankets, while other residents contributed food and baby supplies.
The founder of Caterers4ED, a Zanu-PF affiliate, Ms Iphangolwazi Moyo, also extended support.
“We live by the President’s philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind. We saw the need was urgent and brought what little we could. We will return with more support,” she said.
Overwhelmed by the gesture, Ms Mudenda struggled to hold back tears.
“There was no food in the house when they arrived. May God bless them,” she said.
A neighbour, Mrs Thenjiwe Sibanda, said she alerted the community after learning that the babies were going hungry.
“I could not watch such a blessing slip away because of hunger,” she said.
The family is appealing for baby clothes, milk, foodstuffs, rental assistance and employment opportunities for Ms Mudenda’s husband. — @NyembeziMu
