The case of 70-year-old Prof. Samuel Oluwatowoloju and Mrs. Ajibola Olutayo Otubusin, 67, who recently had their first child after 40 years of marriage, is reminiscent of the promise made by God to Abraham in the Bible.
When the couple got married on December 10, 1977, everybody had expected that in the next nine months they would be blessed with a new baby, a situation which would have called for another celebration and merriment with the young family. But alas, that was not to be.
Months rolled into years and years grew into decades, yet the couple remained childless! They went everywhere and did everything humanly possible to find solution to their problem, but all to no avail.
Sixty-seven-year-old Mrs. Otubosin, who arguably happens to be the oldest nursing mother in Africa and the second in the whole world, could not hold back her tears of joy after four decades of waiting to have a child of her own, having gone through medical care, visits to different gynecologists and specialists hospitals, both within and outside the country, where she spent so much money.
But at His own appointed time, God made that promise He made to Abraham in Genesis 21 to be fulfilled in the life of the couple on October 20, 2018, albeit 40 years after they became man and wife. And God made it possible for the 67-year-old new mother to now say like Sarah in the Bible: “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Sixty-seven-year-old Mrs. Otubosin, who arguably happens to be the oldest nursing mother in Africa and the second in the whole world, could not hold back her tears of joy after four decades of waiting to have a child of her own, having gone through medical care, visits to different gynecologists and specialists hospitals, both within and outside the country, where she spent so much money.
Ironically, Mrs. Otubusin, who hails from Sapon (Tejuosho Compound) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, worked for so many years as a midwife and nurse. She only retired from service four years ago.
Narrating her experience and effort towards having a child, the retired nurse said that she went for Invitro Fertilisation in February this year at the St. Ives Hospital before she was referred and transferred to Atoke Hospital in Abeokuta, owned by a specialist, Dr. Taofeek Ogunfunmilayo, who managed her from the ante-natal period through to her delivery.
Mrs. Otubusin said at first she doubted whether the specialist would be able to handle her case effectively, expressing delight on how the doctor treated and managed her throughout the period of her pregnancy.
She enjoined all women with similar problem and those experiencing unexplained infertility to see IVF as God’s plan to help out those in need of children.
The septuagenarian mother, however, warned women experiencing difficulty in having children not to be too desperate in their search for solution in order not to offend God. She advised them to always wait and hear from God regarding solution to their problems.
In Vitro Fertilisation is an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) commonly referred to as IVF. IVF is the process of fertilisation by extracting eggs, retrieving a sperm sample and then manually combining an egg and sperm in a laboratory dish. The embryo(s) is then transferred to the uterus.
IVF is the most effective form of Assisted Reproductive Technology. The procedure can be done using your own eggs and your partner’s sperm or IVF may involve eggs sperm or embryos from a known or anonymous donor. In some cases, a gestational carrier (a woman who has an embryo implanted in her uterus) might be used.
IVF is done as a treatment for infertility or genetic problems after trying less invasive treatment options before attempting IVF, including fertility drugs, to increase production of eggs or intrauterine insemination (a procedure in which sperm are placed directly in your uterus near the time of ovulation).
Cases where people go for it include: fallopian tube damage or blockage, ovulation disorder, premature ovarian failure, endometriosis, previous tubal sterilisation or removal, impaired sperm production or function, unexplained infertility and genetic disorder.
In the case of Mrs. Otubusin, who tried various medical tests and medication both in Nigeria and four times in India, but didn’t get any positive result, some of the treatment even caused her some health issues, leading to illnesses for decades before she took the bold step with her husband to go for IVF early this year. Having lived with their childless situation for about four decades, the couple decided to try IVF without having much hope, but they kept trusting in God, who they said had promised them 35 years ago to give them a child of their own at the appropriate time.
The septuagenarian father of the new-born baby, Prof. Otubusin, who retired as a lecturer from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, expressed immense joy over the precious gift that God blessed his family with after 40 years of marriage.
He also thanked his wife for her perseverance and faith in God over the four decades of trial.
The specialist, who managed Mrs. Otubusin, Dr. Taofeek Ogunfunmilayo, said his priority was to see the family happy. He recounted how he monitored Mrs. Otubusin closely and how God finally helped him to succeed.
The specialist gynaecologist urged government to facilitate the establishment of more IVF centres in the various parts of the country and also subsidise the cost to make it affordable for couples in need of such treatment.
The new baby boy born to the old couple was on Friday Christened and named Shalom Oluwatomilola
Otubusin.
The ceremony, which was held at the Deeper Life Secretariat, White House, Leme, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was attended by well-wishers, clerics, family members and friends, who joined the family to celebrate what the old couple described as “God’s faithfulness.”
