Sunday, December 9, 2012

A First in the Family

My paternal grandma (my dad's mother) - may God rest her soul in eternal peace - had the highest multiple twins births in the family. She had four sets of twins but as it were God's will, they were unfortunate to have never celebrated their first birthday. All four sets! Quite sad. In the olden days, twins never lived for long coz first they were born premature and the other was the complications that accompany premature babies due to not developing in the womb to full term. In total she gave birth to 11 children but only three got to survive to adulthood.

I too got to have the opportunity of giving birth to twins but as was God's will, I lost my angel, one of the twins to brain stem cancer, when she was eight months and two days. My first cousin whose also my namesake - named after my paternal grandma, she who had the four sets of twins - last week gave birth to triplets! Oooh yeah! Cool, right? This was her third pregnancy and God blessed her with triplets!

I have always admired triple birth milestones and wished God grant me that too. Not only triplets but three healthy, intelligent and beautiful baby boys! I know... :-) Inshallah Ameen! Yote ni majaliwa yake Mola. I have dreamt of them so often that hearing God has blessed my namesake with them. I know He has me in His plans, he he he... wishful thinking eeh?

I am so happy for her and was overwhelmed with joy when she called me to break the good news. We do not have any history of triplets, not our paternal lineage nor her maternal side. This is the first in the family. Everyone was surprised and equally happy for her. She gave birth to two daughters and a son.

Just as most multiple births never get to reach full term in the womb, my namesake's triplets came preterm. They were just twenty-four weeks when they were born. Had she gone full-term, she woulda been due in March next year. Just as fate would have it, one of the triplets, the last one out, didn't manage to survive outside her mother's womb. It was God's will that she got to live for only five days! May God rest the Angel's soul in eternal peace, right there by His side. Amen.

It ain't easy to raise multiple birth babies, I know coz I have twins. I pray that God grants the excited and somehow overwhelmed parents long life, patience, humility and joy as they raise their bundle of joys and get to experience their milestones. I pray too the babies grow to be God fearing, bright and healthy children to maturity.

Raising multiple birth babies is quite challenging in all aspects, mostly on finances. This is so, because, whatever you are able to do for one, the expense multiplies to the number of babies. Twins is times two, triplets is times three! Now, in such an instance, the whole community gets to chip in whatever they can help in. Be it food, clothes, milk, diapers, baby-sitting, house chores, etc, the list is endless!

My namesake's recent milestone and occurrence, being the first in the family, will be the highlight of all the happenings of this year now that we are approaching the end of 2012. As we all celebrate the good tidings of this year not forgetting the misfortunes, let us all unite in prayer for a better, healthier and prosperous coming year. May God's mercies, blessings and fortunes be with us and may He too answer our prayers as we are getting ready to usher in 2013. Inshallah Ameen!


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