A 50-year-old woman Mrs Ibukun Ajayi has given birth to a set of triplets 14 years after marriage.
Mrs Ibukun Ajayi who is married to Rev. Canon Ajayi and based in Edo State gave birth to all boys.
In an interview with New Times, Mrs Ajayi narrated her journey to motherhood after 14 years of waiting for her own children.
According to her, in the course of the 14 years, while expecting her own children, she kept caring for other people’s children.
However, people kept telling her to get her own child and stop taking care of other people’s children because they would not bear her name. Some other people felt she had medical problems.
But she insisted that medically she and her husband were certified good in different hospitals in different states.
While admitting that she “couldn’t go to some places because of the issue”, she also disclosed that her having three miscarriages were among the challenges she faced.
She said that nobody advised her to quit her marriage because of a lack of children. But Mrs Ajayi who is a devout Christian said that the devil occasionally brought the suggestions that she should quit the marriage. However, anytime such “suggestions are coming , believe me the Holy spirit is always there to talk to me and reassure me of the promises of God.”
“Yes people advised me to seek solutions to get children, some of the solutions are going to some churches, going to some people for herbs. In fact, someone called me and said that she would take me to a place where they would cook something for me, that after eating it, at the door post I will use a leg to throw the plate that would determine the sex of the baby. After talking they would say ‘we know you are a pastor’s wife, you will not agree but let’s just try it’, and my response has ever been God has promised to do it and He will do it, let’s keep on praying and believing God. They would say ‘we know you will not agree with us’. I refused to leave my church for another because it is not by church or denomination but your personal contact with God”, she said.
Mrs Ajayi credited her faith in God as a major source of her strength in the midst of her adversity.
She said :” What kept me going was the word of God, His promises for me personally, especially Isaiah 49:10-20 in particular, and I know the God I serve might delay, but He never denies me good things. I knew I would have children, how and when was what I did not know.”
She praised her husband for standing by her and assuring her of his love even though there were no children in the marriage.
” My husband was not bothered, he would always say children or no children it does not matter . He would also say that if a mad woman can give birth on the street then if God feels it is our turn He will do it, if not we can’t query Him.”
She also narrated her experience with her in-laws in the 14 years of a childless marriage.
She said: ” Initially they were patient but after some time they said I should adopt but I refused. I told them I would pray about it. Last year they came up with the idea again but I told them it’s my home and I have the right to decide what I want, so they should please stay clear and before you know it God did His miraculous work.”
She said that while she was personally opposed to adoption, she believes in caring for other children around her.
“I never wanted adoption, I believe in training other children that surround me or are close to me and treat them like my own which I did for many. So my house is always full of children especially during holidays,” she said.
Mrs Ajayi said that at a point in 2022, she was convinced that she would soon have her own children.
“We had a prayer conference in Oleh in Delta State last year. At the programme, the Lord asked me to write the names of my children. I wrote three names, that is for three children and God decided to give me at once.”
On whether she would like to have more children, she said that the set of triplets were enough for her.