A housewife in Narail gave birth to seven babies after 10 years of marriage, but none of the premature newborns survived.
The incident took place at Kalukhali village under Maijpara union in Narail Sadar upazila. The babies were buried at the family graveyard on Thursday morning.
Family members said Salma Begum was taken to a private hospital in Jashore after she developed labour pain on Monday night. She gave birth to two babies on Tuesday night and five more on Wednesday night.
Doctors said the babies were born prematurely at around five and a half months, leaving them in critical condition. All seven died shortly after birth. Salma is now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jashore.
Family sources said Salma’s husband Mohsin Molla married her 10 years ago. He spent seven years working in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia before returning home three years ago. He now earns a living by driving an easy bike.
The couple had remained childless throughout their marriage. Earlier medical reports indicated that Salma was carrying six babies, although she eventually gave birth to seven — four boys and three girls.
Five years ago, Salma became pregnant once before but suffered a miscarriage. Jashore Medical College Hospital Associate Professor of Gynaecology Ila Mondal said Salma had received treatment under her supervision.
“The babies were born in an immature condition after her water broke early. Each baby weighed around 200 grams. They all had heartbeats initially, but it was not possible to save them,” she said.
Mohsin’s mother said the family had been overjoyed after learning that Salma was expecting six babies.
“There was no shortage in her care. Suddenly, she developed labour pain on Monday afternoon and was taken to Jashore Medical College Hospital before being shifted to another hospital,” she said.
She added that the first baby died shortly after birth on Tuesday night. The remaining babies also died one after another soon after delivery. The babies’ grandfather Abdul Latif Molla said the family had waited years to see grandchildren after a decade of marriage.
“Allah gave us happiness, but we could not hold onto it,” he said. Local schoolteacher Abu Selim said the news of the rare multiple pregnancy had drawn attention across the area, with many people visiting to inquire about the family.
“The deaths of the babies have cast a shadow of grief over the whole village,” he said.
