38 Children, 39 Years: The Astonishing Story of a Ugandan Mother

Mariam Nabatanzi from Uganda is just 39 years old, yet she is the biological mother of 38 children with her husband. “When I got married at 13, I only wanted six children,” she recalls in a special interview. “But after giving birth to my first set of twins, I realized that might not be possible.”

Mariam has a rare medical condition known as hyperovulation. What does that mean? Simply put, every time she becomes pregnant, she gives birth to twins, triplets, or even quadruplets.

Some of Mariam's children

It might sound unbelievable, but Mariam has given birth to six sets of twins, four sets of triplets, and three sets of quadruplets, not including her other single births. And no, the numbers aren’t wrong. “I was supposed to have had 44 children, but six of them passed away, leaving me with 38,” she explains. “Unfortunately, the father of my children left us on our own, but I do not see them as a burden and have no regrets. Despite the daily challenges, I see my children as a blessing, not a curse. I work several jobs and rely on neighbors and friends to help raise them, but I could never consider giving them up for adoption or preventing their birth just because of difficulties.”

Mariam’s oldest child is 23, while her youngest is just four months old. Interestingly, only ten of her 38 children are girls, with the rest being boys. Her triplets and quadruplets are all non-identical, adding even more variety to her extraordinary family.