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This incredible 39-year-old woman has given birth 44 times and has 38 children living under one roof…

Mariam Nabatanzi, from Uganda, is a super mum and a true survivor. At the age of just 13, she was married to a man 27 years her senior, not even realising that she was married until she was left at his house. Just a year later she was pregnant.

A Hard Journey

Mariam’s first babies were a set of twins, followed by a set of triplets the next year, and later, quadruplets. Married life wasn’t easy as her husband had many children from previous relationships that Mariam took care of as their mothers lived far away.

“He was also violent and would beat me at any opportunity he got, even when I suggested an idea that he didn’t like,” she said. After having a jaw-dropping 23 children, Mariam decided she wanted to prevent the possibility of further pregnancy and asked her doctors for assistance. They informed her that she had an incredibly high ovary count and that the procedure would put her health in great danger brightside.me reports.

No Regrets

In total, Mariam gave birth to 44 children (yep, that’s 44), including 6 twins, 4 sets of triplets, 3 sets of quadruplets and only two children born without a “copy.” There were also 6 additional children who passed away. Despite it all, Mariam says she has no regrets. She only wishes that her children’s father had been a greater presence in their life – her eldest son hasn’t seen his father in ten years as he abandoned them after years of disappearing for weeks or months at a time. But Mariam more than makes up for it. She’s dedicated her entire life to her children, providing for them and putting them all through school. “I hope my children will go to school because they all have big ambitions of being doctors, teachers and lawyers. I want them to achieve these dreams, something I was not able to do.” We’re not crying, you’re crying.

A Message For Parents

BBC journalist Kassim Kayira is the person responsible for sharing Mariam’s story with the world. It is thanks to him that Mariam has been able to spread a deeply personal message to the parents in her culture. “Stop selling your daughters to men for early marriages. They suffer too much, and the loss of parental love is something they can never fully recover from.”

You are an inspiration to all mothers Mariam. We salute you.

What do you think of Mariam’s incredible story? Let us know in the comments. 

Top photo from © Kassim Kayira / facebook

  • Oh my, I can’t even get my head around this, she is a super mum alright! But being married off at 13 when she was only a little girl is sad.

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  • Oh my, being perpetually pregnant. I hope her kids are close with each otehr.

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  • Don’t know how she was able to feed them and put them through school. Amazing super Mum.

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  • Wow, now she is a super Mum for sure. What an amazingly strong woman. Bless her.

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  • Lord, that woman must have some strength! What an inspiring woman!!!

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  • There is so much in this story. What an amazing human being. I’m sure she loves all of her children. However, I’m sad for her that she was forced into this situation. The toll this must have taken on her body and her mental health. A truly amazing story.

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  • Oh no poor girl getting married off at 13!!! She really is super woman having 44 kids!!

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  • Wow! What a woman! She must be some kind of record and such an inspiration too after living through all of that.

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  • How on earth can she afford to feed them all? It worries me that if something happened to her there would be so many orphans in a country that is already full of hungry children.

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  • 44 is a huge amount of children! She must have been pregnant straight after each pregnancy.


    • I do wonder if there were multiple births too? Her story is incredibly interesting and she sounds like a powerful and strong woman.

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  • So many children! What a story and what a wonderful woman!

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  • She is incredible. My only concern is that everyone in every country should be considering less children for the sake of our planet.


    • I agree we cannot sustain so many people.

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  • It’s hard to believe preventing pregnancy would be more dangerous than having that many kids. I’m sure she loves them, but it’s a shame having them wasn’t her choice.

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  • She looks like a strong and positive woman. She was able to make the best of her situation. I can’t even imagine having so many kids. And the forced marriage. Incredible.

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  • A story that is worth sharing because of the topic of arranged marriages of children in some countries. This is just appalling and no girl/woman she endure an arranged marriage. I cannot imagine giving birth to so many children. Her story deserves a more in depth look; at the future outcomes for her too and not just her children.

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  • An incredible story indeed, Mariam is a true super woman !! Amazing that she can look with so much love after so many children !

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  • Wow what an amazing story. I can’t believe this still happens. She was only 13 that poor little girl.

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  • Wow what an amazing woman to not only have all those children but to still be able to put them through school and support them. Definitely a super Mum.

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  • Oh my god, I cannot fathom being pregnant that many times, let alone raising all those children practically on her own. And they all still live at home, plus the stepkids she helped raise. Amazing woman

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