Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
Herald Reporter
A GLEN VIEW woman gave birth to triplets at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on Saturday, bringing her children to six.
Dephinate Chitsaka feels both blessed and overwhelmed to suddenly have twice as many kids.
She says she now faces a daunting task to provide the essentials and produce sufficient milk for the triplets.
Chitsaka, who is unemployed, told The Herald that she only became aware that she was pregnant with triplets a few days before their birth.
The babies haven’t been named yet, but they are two girls and a boy.
“This was my fourth pregnancy, and I never thought I would give birth to triplets. It was a very painful experience because I give birth naturally, but soon after giving birth, I was very excited and overjoyed because this is the first time this has ever happened in my family,” she said.
“I was born into a family of two; it was just my brother and myself. Unfortunately, my brother passed away, so when I had a scan last week and learned that I was expecting twins, I couldn’t believe it.
“I thought it was a mistake on the part of the radiographer, so I didn’t take it seriously.”
She was pleasantly surprised when she gave birth to the triplets, who were in an incubator yesterday.
The triplets had a low birth weight, but were generally healthy. Chitsaka expects to be discharged within the next couple of days.
Having fed, bathed and taken care of three babies before, she knows how challenging it will be to care for her new triplets.
She is hoping people in her community will offer some help. In light of the challenges, Chitsaka is appealing for assistance and can be reached on 0775723235.
Multiple births are becoming more common because of the increased use of fertility treatments, but medical experts say it is almost unheard of for a woman to naturally conceive triplets more than once.
Africa has the world’s highest rates of multiple births, particularly twins, driven by genetics and increasing maternal age, according to World Health Organisation reports.
