A woman gave birth to seven babies after 10 years of marriage in Narail Sadar upazila, but none of the newborns survived due to premature birth, leaving the family and locals devastated.
The tragic incident took place in Kalukhali village under Maijpara union of Narail Sadar upazila.
Salma Begum, wife of easy-bike driver Mohsin Mollah, gave birth to the babies at a hospital in Jashore. Although ultrasonography reports had indicated six babies, she eventually delivered seven newborns - four boys and three girls.
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According to family sources, Salma experienced labour pain on Monday night and was rushed to a hospital in Jashore. She first gave birth to two babies on Tuesday night and later delivered five more on Wednesday night.
Doctors said all the babies were born prematurely at around five and a half months of pregnancy and could not be saved.
The seven newborns were buried at the family graveyard on Thursday around 11:00 am.
Abdul Latif Mollah, grandfather of the babies, said the family had long waited to see the faces of grandchildren after 10 years of marriage.
“My son used to work in Saudi Arabia and returned home three years ago. He later started driving an easy-bike. We had been waiting for grandchildren for a decade. Seven came at once, yet none survived. The pain is unbearable,” he said.
Associate Professor Dr Ila Mondal of the Gynaecology Department at Jashore Medical College Hospital said Salma Begum had been under her treatment.
“The babies were born in an extremely premature condition. The mother’s amniotic fluid had broken before delivery. Each newborn weighed only around 200 grams. Although all had heartbeats at birth, they could not survive due to underdeveloped lungs and extremely low weight,” she said.
Local school teacher Abu Selim said the news of the birth of seven babies had created huge excitement in the area, with people flocking from distant places to see the newborns.
“Now the entire village is mourning after hearing about their deaths,” he added.
Salma Begum is currently undergoing treatment at the Jashore hospital, while relatives and locals are praying for her speedy recovery.