A TOTAL of 59 babies had been born at state facilities in Kwazulu-Natal by 8am on Christmas Day, the province’s Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, said .
“The arrival of new bundles of joy is always an exciting time, as it signals the beginning of new life,” said Simelane-Zulu, who had been visiting Addington Hospital in Durban.
“It is always extra special when it happens on a special day such as Christmas, which is traditionally a time for happiness.
“We are therefore honoured and privileged to be here to welcome these special babies and congratulate the mothers.”
Simelane-Zulu said by 6am on Christmas Day, 33 babies had been born.
“By 11am, this number had risen to 59 - 35 boys, 24 girls.”
KZN’s first Christmas baby, a boy, was born at Durban’s King Edward VIII Hospital to a 39-year-old mother.
“He arrived on the stroke of midnight, weighing in at 2.82kg.”
Simelane-Zulu said three babies had been born at Addington Hospital so far on Christmas Day.
“We must mention that out of 26 mothers who have given birth to Christmas babies in eThekwini, only one mother had been vaccinated, which is extremely concerning because vaccination is safe for pregnant mothers, but the uptake is disappointingly low. As we speak, two of these mothers are in isolation in one of our hospitals.
“We wish the mothers everything of the best as they begin this new journey with their little ones.”
Simelane-Zulu also expressed her concerns about the rising number of teenage pregnancies.
She said among the youngest mothers who delivered their babies on December 25 were two 16-year-olds, who gave birth at Nkonjeni and Itshelejuba hospitals in the Zululand district.
“We also have a 17-year-old and two 18-year-olds, who delivered at Itshelejuba, Benedictine (in Zululand District) and Osindisweni Hospital, here in Ethekwini.
“When you look at these cases, what becomes glaring is that these girls had sex when they were about a year younger than they are, which means girls aged 15, 16, and 17 years old were engaging in sexual intercourse.
“We want to reiterate that this is unacceptable because conceiving at such a young age can be very, very dangerous for both mother and child.”
Simelane-Zulu said a mother who was too young was not psychologically and physiologically ready to bear a child.
“She is also at increased risk of suffering health complications, and possibly losing her life and that of the baby.
“But we also want to be clear that older men who impregnate these young girls must be arrested and made to face the full might of the law, because what they are doing is statutory rape. They are taking advantage of girls who are economically vulnerable.”
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