ABU DHABI // Despite undergoing regular health checks during her pregnancies, Fatima Saif still had to pay the price for carrying seven children.
The Emirati mother, now 57, had her first child at the age of 22, with the health of her body losing ground with every birth, most of which were about two years apart.
Now she suffers from diabetes, varicose veins and high blood pressure, which doctors say are common ailments in pregnant women.
“My mother would see me very tired and always tell me not to have any more children,” she said. “On my last baby, my varicose veins were very bad and I got a clot in my legs.
“My pregnancies were very bad, I was always dizzy, nauseous and had a headache so bad I couldn’t sleep. I was not like other women who suffer for the first few months, but for nine whole months. I couldn’t sleep most nights. My teeth would sometimes fall off.”
When Ms Saif was young, the pregnancies were less difficult. But after she turned 40, they were more troublesome.
“I used to eat toast in water or rice and lemon,” she said. “I wasn’t eating throughout the pregnancy, but my babies were healthy thankfully. And after birth I would force myself to eat to have enough breast milk for the children. Taking a shower was hard, and I hated the smell of soap and toothpaste.”
Other than her mother, the only support she found was an Islamic cleric who told her to “raise the children you have and try not to have any more”. But she found contraceptives were not effective.
“I always have bodily pain [now], especially my back and knees,” she said. “My doctor always used to tell me you will suffer, you will be in pain. The doctor told me after 40 all the symptoms will come again.”
She said that check-ups were crucial for her, and she found that other women who did not to see the doctor had it worse.
“I advise [women] to have constant check-ups, listen to the doctors, and don’t have many children if you cannot handle it,” she said.
Dr Bachar Abduh, a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at Al Noor Hospital, said such complications could be avoided with intake of supplements and frequent visits to the doctor, particularly for women with back-to-back pregnancies.
Umm Hussein, a mother of six from Abu Dhabi, said she had no problem with her pregnancies because she followed a strict medical schedule plan. Her friends, however, were not as lucky, putting work ahead of their health.
“Some women are not aware of the importance of health checks,” she said. “This is the issue.”
osalem@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting from Ayesha Al Khoori
