Triplets: A Hopely mother’s struggle
ON January 31 this year, it was a hive of activity at Edith Opperman Maternity unit in the capital when a Hopley couple welcomed a set of triplets.
It cannot be denied that the arrival of a new baby brings joy to everyone in the family.
But for the Hopley couple, Jerry Kwereka (41) and Olivia Pandiwa (30), the news was received with mixed feelings of joy and shock.
“I was happy and at the same time shocked about the birth of the triplets,” Pandiwa told The Herald on Saturday.
“We had not prepared for the birth of triplets. I did not go for a scan because I did not have money. The birth of my triplets came as a surprise indeed. When the nurses told me that l had delivered triplets, l still could not believe it.”
Pandiwa never, for a moment, thought she would give birth to triplets.
“I never dreamt about giving birth to triplets in my life even though in my family there are a set of twins,” she said.
The Hopley mother of triplets said the birth of the boys whom the couple named Jimmy, Jayden and Jerry was a blessing to their family.
Her husband was elated.
“When we got married we planned to have four children and when my wife got pregnant with her fourth pregnancy, I thought this was our last child as we already had three other children,” Kwereka said.
“But we did not know that God had something great in store of us as we were blessed with triplets. Our social life has been cut off, but we are happy for the blessing that God gave us. I am a cross border trader and business is tight due to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. Movement of goods is restricted and I have no money to look after my family.
“I stopped my trade as a result of the pandemic restrictions and started doing all kinds of menial jobs to survive. These days, jobs are scarce and I am finding it hard to support my family.”
Pandiwa said her sister, Chiedza, had to
run around to buy more clothing for the triplets as they had only budgeted for a single baby. The other siblings of the triplets are excited about the arrival of their young brothers.
“At first the three-year old was jealous about the arrival of the triplets, but now she is used to it as she wants to hold and play with them too,” she said.
Coping with the triplets during the first three days was not easy for her.
“They all cried for milk,” said Pandiwa. “It was not enough. Looking after the three children demands a lot of responsibility.
“During the first days l was not used to it, but now l am coping with them. My husband would hold the other one child whilst l fed the other two boys.”
Pandiwa said one of the triplets — Jimmy — has a voracious appetite.
“Jimmy is the most troublesome of the three,” she said. “He likes to be breastfed so much.”
The situation is tough for the family. The couple used to stay in Karoi, but was forced to relocate to Harare in January when Pandiwa fell pregnant.
Chiedza’s husband now has an unenviable role of looking after the two families.
“My husband does menial jobs around and we use the little he earns to buy food,” she said.
“It’s not easy for him and the demands of the triplets are quite huge.
“The triplets need diapers and infant milk to supplement their mother’s milk. All these products are expensive and we can’t afford to buy enough stocks.”
Despite all the challenges, there is a glimmer of hope. There are well-wishers who are supporting the family.
“We are very happy and thankful to the people who are assisting us,” said Pandiwa.
“Some well-wishers donated money through our EcoCash account and we managed to get birth certificates for the children.
“When I was discharged from the hospital, I had a US$15 debt. The hospital withheld the birth records for the triplets.
“They wanted us to settle the bill first before they could release the papers to help us secure their birth certificates.”
But Jimmy, Jayden and Jerry now have birth certificates. The children are growing well and the family still needs more support.
“We do not have our own shelter at the moment, as we are staying at Pandiwa’s sister’s house,” said Kwereka.
“Their house has two rooms and it is not adequate for the two families.
“I need a job so that I can raise money to get better accommodation. I want to be able to provide for my family.”
The other children aged 14 and 10 are not going to school due to lack of money for fees.
“Giving birth to the triplets was a blessing, but it also demands a huge amount of responsibility as all the children need the attention of their mother,” said Pandiwa.