Nigeria: Woman Delivers After Two Years
Pregnancy
31 May 2013 , By Chika Mefor, Source:
Leadership
When Mrs. Prisca Ashiegbu got pregnant after
seven years of fervent prayers to God for the
fruit of the womb, she never imagined that
she would have to wait another two years to
hold her baby in her arms.
The nine years of childless marriage to her
husband, Henry, was a rough but the agaony
was forgotten when she was delivered of her
"miracle baby" on February 2, 2013.
Married in January 2004, the couple who hail
from Abazu village in Imo State was not so
anxious about having a child in the first year
of the marriage.However, they stated their
journey of praying and waiting on God by the
second year.
For many years, they went from one hospital
to another searching for a solution to their
childlessness and it was during one of such
hospital visits that a scan revealed that Prisca
had fibroid.
The doctors said the only solution was for
Prisca to undergo surgery but the stories the
couple heard about having surgery to remove
fibroid didn't encourage them to go on with
the treatment.
"I have always had this phobia of going for
surgery especially when it concerns fibroid. I
have heard a lot of stories and the stories
were not good. Many women had lost their
lives in the process and we didn't know where
to go and who to trust. Some other stories we
heard were that if one does not conceive
within three months after removing the fibroid,
it will grow back. I didn't want my wife to go
for the surgery because I had already made
up my mind that I'll rather remain childless
than lose my wife to the ailment," Henry, the
husband said.
He further stated that in the search for a
solution, they spent a lot of money."We went
to several hospitals and they all said the
same thing. We were thinking of the best
option that will help reduce the size of the
fibroid and hope that pregnancy will occur.
We went to a hospital in Abuja and were told
that the fibroid could not even be operated
upon at the level it was. My wife had to take
injection that cost N35,000 each for a period
of three months to reduce the size of the
fibroid," Henry added, stressing that when this
too failed, they resorted to traditional
medicine and were referred to a woman in
Gwagwalada, who treated his wife following
which she conceived.
He however said the joy of the pregnancy was
cut short when several scans did not reveal
the presence of a baby growing in his wife.
"There were physical changes to suggest that
she was pregnant but everywhere we went to,
they kept telling us what they could see was
the fibroid and not a baby but the case was
different for the traditional medicine
practitioners who confirmed that she was
indeed pregnant. The baby, according to the
woman, who treated my wife was growing
alongside the fibroid. The woman continued
her treatment trying to reduce the size of the
fibroid so that the baby will mature because
the fibroid was delaying the growth of the
foetus and when it was nine months, Prisca
who is a teacher by profession applied for a
maternity leave.
"The situation we were in is better imagined. I
resumed and people were asking me how my
baby was and I told them the baby was okay.
But after three months, my stomach was still
big and people became suspicious, with some
wondering if I was pregnant again. In fact one
of my students asked me if I was pregnant
again," Prisca said.
The couple was in a dilemma. They could not
go for surgery as the doctors had not
confirmed that the woman was pregnant while
those who had confirmed the pregnancy did
not have the requisite knowledge and
equipment to operate on her. They resorted to
prayers, hoping that a miracle should happen.
Prisca's sister, Mrs. Justina Amadi, told them
of a woman in Aba who could help them and
when they got there, the woman who also
works in a clinic examined her and told her
that she felt the baby but when Prisca went
for a scan in the same clinic, the baby was
not seen.
From Aba, Henry, a staff of the Embassy of
Iran, said they headed for Port Harcourt,
where they had been told about a woman who
was pregnant for one year and nine months
and found her solution.
"Early December 2012, we went to Owerri. It
was a woman who was a friend to my wife's
sister who directed us to Port Harcourt. She
told us that if she had delivered after a year
and nine months pregnancy, my wife should
have faith that she too will deliver. She
directed us to the person who helped her
when everyone had given up," Henry said,
adding that after some initial challenges, they
were able to locate the traditional medicine
practitioner, who examined his wife and
confirmed that there was a baby and the baby
was still alive.
"She said because the fibroid was sharing
space with the baby, the baby wasn't mature
so she will have to place me on treatment for
one month and give me medicine that will
make the fibroid shrink and give the baby
space to grow. This was happening in
December, 2012. We started the treatment
and we saw progress," Prisca narrated,
adding that after one month, the woman told
her she could come for delivery as the baby
would have been mature by then.
We went there on a Monday and on Tuesday,
I continued with the exercise. I started
dancing all kinds of dance steps including
those I danced as a child. Everyone was
calling, they were worried. She later gave me
another drug and after I took it, I started
purging. Around 12.30pm, she told me that it
was time. I didn't even feel any labour pains
and within a period of 15 minutes,the baby
was born. My sister was crying. It was really
a miracle," she said.
The birth of Emmanuel Ebubechukwu, that is
the baby's name, brought joy to his parents.
They have taken their experience as a way
God wanted to use them to help and
encourage other people in similar situations.

I find this story too incredible to believe