Two mothers have given birth to triplets over six days at Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital. But while the families rejoice, the unemployed mothers are anxious over how they will feed the extra mouths.
Matshidiso Meletsa, 19, gave birth to the first set on February 10, and Thandi Nxumalo, 27, gave birth on February 16. All six babies were born weighing about 1.8kg – big enough not to need intensive care – and two have already gone home.
The assistant manager at the maternity hospital, Nomusa Sibiya, said it was possibly the only time the hospital had seen two sets of triplets in one month.
Meletsa comes from a family of twins, but said she hadn’t been expecting two, let alone three, babies. She has named them Bohlokwa, meaning ‘important’, Bophelo, meaning ‘life’, and Bohlale, meaning ‘intelligent’.
Fortunately, Meletsa has a large support network consisting of relatives, and has moved in with her cousins in White City, Soweto. “You can’t do it alone,” said Sibiya.
However, Meletsa is unsure how she is going to cope financially. She is unemployed, and is not getting any financial support from her boyfriend. She will be forced to rely on child support grants.
Nxumalo is also unemployed and worries about how she’s going to care for three babies. She’s a twin, but nothing could have prepared her for the arrival of Siyanda, Bayanda and Asanda.
“It’s shocking, frustrating, exciting,” she said.
She has two other children, aged six and nine, and shares a backyard room in Dobsonville with the unemployed father of the triplets. Nxumalo’s mother had a car accident three years ago and had to retire early.
Nxumalo, her boyfriend, and her now five children will all have to survive off her mother’s pension grant.
“We are going to work with the Department of Social Development to speed up the process of getting the children grants.
“We’re advising that the family members must assist with the bringing up of the kids,” said hospital spokesman Nkosiyethu Mazibuko. He said one of the most important things was for the families to get proper shelter.
Both mothers received antenatal care from clinics. When their midwives noticed that their tummies were unusually big, they were referred to the hospital for ultrasounds.
“If you are pregnant, make sure you attend your nearest clinic, because any early detection assists the department in making sure the kids are properly looked after,” said Mazibuko. - The Star