109-kg woman, 45, delivers eighth child
In an uncommon instance, a 45-year-old
morbidly obese woman delivered a healthy baby girl — her eighth child — at the
Cama and Albess Hospital last week, weighing 4.2 kg.
For the State’s only exclusive mother
and child hospital, this delivery was different. When the nurse handed the
newborn over to the family on February 4, there were mixed feelings among the
baby’s siblings comprising five sisters and two brothers.Faced with multiple
instances of much younger women struggling to conceive naturally, doctors were
amused that Farah Shaikh (name changed) had conceived against all odds: she
weighs 109 kg,. suffers from diabetes and hypertension, and her previous
pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage last year.Ms. Shaikh, a resident of Cheeta
Camp in Trombay, was referred to Cama Hospital by a local nursing home as it
was a high risk pregnancy.
“The baby was very big and the mother
had so many comorbid conditions. The delivery was definitely a high risk one,
so we performed a Caesarean section,” gynaecologist Dr. Rajshree Katke, who
performed the delivery, said. Dr. Katke, who is also the hospital’s medical
superintendent, said natural conception at 45 is rare. “I have treated a
pregnant woman aged 42, but that too is rare.
In this case, all the factors were odd:
the woman is obese and the baby was big.”The eldest among Ms. Shaikh’s eight
children, a daughter, is 27 and works in a bank. Next in line is a son, aged 24
and employed with a private firm. The third child, a daughter, is 21, married
and a homemaker. Then come a girl, aged 19, who is pursuing a commerce degree,
a 16-year-old daughter in Class XI, a 12-year-old daughter in Class VII and and
a boy, aged 8, in Class III. Her husband, an electrician by profession, was
earlier employed at a zari workshop in the Mideast.
‘No contraception’
Initially, the Shaikhs were reluctant to
share Farah’s pregnancy history as they thought she would be pressurised into
undergoing a permanent sterilisation procedure. The doctors too were
highlighting the risks associated with another pregnancy. “We are not allowed
to use contraception,” Ms. Shaikh told doctors. “By god’s grace all our
children are doing well.”
“We had to counsel the patient and her
husband at length to explain the risks involved if she should conceive again. Not
only would her life be in danger, but the baby’s as well. At first, they were
not willing to listen but we continued with our counselling till they finally
agreed to sterilisation,” said Dr Katke adding that a tubal ligation procedure
was performed on Shaikh. Tubal ligation also known as tubectomy is a
sterilization procedure wherein the fallopian tubes are clamped to prevent eggs
reaching them.
Embarrassing, say kids
The eldest Shaikh sibling said she finds
her mother’s multiple pregnancies embarrassing. “When my fourth sibling was
born, I was still happy, but after that, it became awkward for me. I think only
our younger brother is excited as he will have someone to play with,” she said.
“Several friends and relatives have been inquiring about the baby, but it just
doesn’t feel good.”
