For 39 years, a Nigerian couple prayed and hoped fervently for a child of their own. The wife, 67, went from one hospital to another in Nigeria and India to have the fruit of the womb.
The couple consulted doctor after doctor. They went through various tests and procedures.
But they refused to give up.Yesterday, Professor Samuel Olu Otunbusin and his wife Ajibola got their hearts’ desire: a baby at last.
And a boy, too.
Not only has she become the oldest Nigerian woman to give birth through IVF (in-vitro fertilization), she is also the oldest African in recorded history to give birth to a baby, and the 2nd oldest mum in the world.
The happy mother and her husband, Professor Samuel Olu Otunbusin welcomed their baby boy at Atoke Medical Centre, Abeokuta on Saturday 20th October 2018 and according to her husband, Professor Otunbusin, he said God revealed to him 35 years ago.
”God revealed to me 35 years ago about the birth of my son Oluwatobi”, she said adding that she had undergone the IVF procedure at the St Ives IVF&Fertility center.
She narrated how her efforts to have a child have taken her to several specialist hospitals in Nigeria and India where she underwent numerous procedures without success.
“This might be hard to believe but I am 67 years old and I have been married for over 39 years. I have done several IVF both in India and in Nigeria that failed. At several points, I had said to myself: So I will die without a child of my own?’ But I never gave up on God. I held on to the belief that at the appointed time, God will remember me. And my husband kept encouraging me. “In 2018. I was directed to St. Ives Fertility center by the Holy Spirit. I started the procedure with joy and I ended it with joy from above.”
READ: Woman shares testimony as she welcomes baby after 7 years of waiting
Mrs Ajibola Otunbusin advised other women who are encountering challenges with childbearing not to lose hope. She urged them to remain positive and try all medical methods while also looking up to God for the fruit of the womb. “I hereby encourage all women despite your age not to relent, God of Sarah will remember you too”, she said.
The medical team was led by the Head of IVF unit Dr Babatunde Okewale FRCOG, other experts of the team were Dr Kingsley Obodo FMCOG, Dr Taofeek Ogunfunmilayo FMCOG. Ozioma chukwudi MSC, the senior Embryologist, Fertility specialist nurses Mary Obichie SNM, Olusola Inameti SNM