By Sola Ogundipe
Having looked at this DNA test report that was done from a quality laboratory and by qualified personnel with a high level of quality assurance in their practice; I would say that none of these babies has a similar DNA pattern with their alleged mother. Even the DNA pattern does not indicate a familial relationship between the babies.

Most DNA tests look at 15 sites for comparison. They search for the same parameters for the baby to see if that same parameter is repeated. Where there is more than one locus of difference, then there is 99.99 percent that the child in question was not birthed by the woman. In this case the result states clearly that there are more than two loci of difference, in other words the chances of these children being birthed by the woman in question is very, very remote. What this translates into is that the woman in question does not own any of the babies whose result has been presented, as confirmed by the laboratory pathologist. Any attempt to explain the result of this incidence in any other manner would not have a scientific basis. And even if it was to be explained spiritually, it is clear that even God would not give anybody a baby that would not share their genes. DNA is probably the most important familial parameter created by God.”

Miracle Children in Lagos

This was the finality with which Dr Victor Osunkelu, Acting Head of Department of Haematology & Blood Transfusion of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL) in Idi Araba,Lagos, dismissed the maternity test result of Precious Ogbonna and her seven miracle babies.

Osunkelu who noted with all conviction that although pregnancy could be an exciting time for the expectant mother-to-be, argued that, sometimes, pregnancy doesn’t end as anticipated, that is, with a baby. “In rare cases, a woman could and does believe she is pregnant, only to find out that her symptoms were caused not by pregnancy, but by something else entirely.”

He stated that Precious Ogbonna, who he described as a patient of pseudocyesis, phantom or false pregnancy, requires psychiatrist care. “Phantom pregnancy ( medically known as pseudocyesis) is the belief that you are expecting a baby when you are not really carrying a child. People with phantom pregnancy such as Precious have many or all of the common symptoms of pregnancy, with the exception of an actual foetus.”

According to the expert, the main cause of this disorder is psychological. “In a way, it can be said that phantom pregnancy is mind over matter. In other words, the woman is so desperate to have a baby, her desire is so strong, that her body fulfills her wish. The condition is fairly rare, but most common in women aged 20 to 44, although it can affect women of all ages, who have fertility problems or are desperate for a child.

“Women who have suffered a miscarriage or have lost a child are also susceptible. Generally, women going through a phantom pregnancy are emotionally unstable and may have other psychological problems. Women with an extreme fear of becoming pregnant and women who were victims of incest have been shown to possibly be at greater risk for phantom pregnancy.

“Now, this woman (Precious) had the feeling that she was pregnant so it was difficult for her to believe she was not actually pregnant during the time frame. Even if she is charged for child trafficking, she would still go before the judge and confidently insist she had the babies herself and that they are hers.

Explaining further, Osunkelu observed: “Phantom pregnancy is a well documented phenomenon. I have seen a woman who claimed to have carried a pregnancy for 11 months even when she wasn’t pregnant one day. Physically her abdomen was distended, she had true pregnancy symptoms, but scans showed there was zero content in her uterus. She was a classic case of phantom pregnancy, because even when she saw her own uterus empty; she still did not believe she wasn’t pregnant. I actually did the scans myself. I wasn’t told, although it is abnormal, it’s actually quite a very, very common disorder.”

Although doctors have been aware of phantom pregnancy for centuries, only recently have they begun to understand the psychological and physical issues that are at the root of the condition. Although the exact causes still aren’t known, it is suspected that psychological factors may trick the body into “thinking” that it’s pregnant.

According to medical literature, “When a woman feels an intense desire to get pregnant, which may be because of infertility, repeat miscarriages, impending menopause, or a desire to get married, her body may produce some of the signs of pregnancy (such as a swollen belly, enlarged breasts, and even the sensation of foetal movement). The woman’s brain then misinterprets those signs as pregnancy, and triggers the release of hormones (such as oestrogen and prolactin) that lead to actual pregnancy symptoms.

True pregnancy vs. phantom pregnancy

Sometimes the only thing that differs false pregnancy from true pregnancy is a sonogram/ultrasound. In medical examinations for pregnancy, such as a pelvic exam, pregnancy may be confirmed in a person with phantom pregnancy. This is because a woman with this condition has a soft and enlarged uterus just as a real pregnant woman does.

There have been cases of positive home pregnancy tests due to the production of some of the pregnancy related hormones produced in a woman with phantom pregnancy. So, to reiterate, a sonogram/ultrasound is the only surefire way to rule out pregnancy as a diagnosis.

Causes

In medical circles, factors

such as poverty, a lack of education, childhood sexual abuse, or relationship problems have been suggested as playing a role in triggering false pregnancy. Having a false pregnancy is not the same as claiming to be pregnant for a benefit (such as for profit), or having delusions of pregnancy (such as in patients with schizophrenia).

“The human mind is very powerful, but can even be manipulated by those who know how, that is why a man can be confused (brainwashed) to the extent of becoming a suicide bomber. That is, to imbibe indoctrination in the person and that is why this woman is talking about a covenant. Her psychology has been played upon, her mind tampered with and that is why she is talking about a covenant. It is like she is sleep walking,” the doctor argued.

Symptoms

Women with phantom pregnancy have many of the same symptoms as those who are actually pregnant, including, stopping of menstrual period, swollen belly, enlarged and tender breasts, changes in the nipples, and possibly milk production. In extreme cases, there may be feeling of foetal movements, nausea and vomiting and weight gain.

These symptoms can last from just a few weeks to nine months or several years. A very small percentage of patients with false pregnancy will arrive at the doctor’s office or hospital with what feels like labour pains, but they will not deliver a baby.

Tests for false pregnancy

To determine whether a woman is experiencing a false pregnancy, the doctor will usually evaluate her symptoms and perform a pelvic examination and abdominal ultrasound – these are the same tests used to feel and visualise the unborn baby during a normal pregnancy. In a case of false pregnancy, no baby will be seen on the ultrasound, and there won’t be any heartbeat. Sometimes, however, the doctor will find some of the physical changes that occur during pregnancy, such as an enlarged uterus and softened cervix.

Certain medical conditions that can mimic the symptoms of pregnancy include ectopic pregnancy, morbid obesity, and cancer. These conditions may need to be ruled out with tests.

Medical induction

While phantom pregnancy could be induced medically, it could be reversible but because the mind is so powerful, and because her brain actually created a sensation of pregnancy, the effects are long lasting.”

Phantom pregnancy can be induced medically by someone who has the knowledge and who wants to be mischievous. I can bet you that if this woman’s medical history is well investigated, it wouldn’t be a surprise to discover she has not been able to give birth for years.

Manipulation

Recounting an experience, he noted: “About 15 – 18 years back then I was doing some private practice, I was approached by one of these 419 boys who said to me that he had a business proposal. I asked him what it was and he told me I could make a lot of money without stress myself. I insisted on knowing how this instant wealth would come about.

According to him, all I had to do was to prepare some concoction that would lift the ovaries of certain women who had not been able to conceive and deliver for a long period of time.

“After drinking the concoction, these women would stop seeing their periods, so the next thing would be for them to believe they are pregnant. After an average of 4-5 months, the women would be told that by midnight of a particular day, the ‘spirit’ that gives babies would be visiting them. They would be warned not to fall asleep that night because any woman who fell asleep would lose her ‘baby’. Based on this, the women are given something to drink after which they eventually sleep off.

At about this time,

effects of the earlier potion would have worn off. Everything is soon normalised and each woman can begin to see her period. Now, when she complains of having lost her baby, she is told that she went against the rules and slept off when the spirit came and then this process is repeated over and over again till she gets frustrated and leaves.

“So you see that the human heart is desperately wicked and hardened. Thank God for the white man and the invention of the DNA test. Otherwise, to this day, there would still be a battle to prove the biological parenthood of the babies.

Osunkelu argued that it becomes a thing of the very spiritual and also, of the physical (doctors’ reports). “But because spiritual matters cannot be concerned with physical things, when one plus one does not give you two, then you know that wuru-wuru is involved.”

Promiscuity

In his view, with the increasing level of promiscuity around these days, there are many cases of illegitimate pregnancies and so fraudulent people are luring desperate women seeking the fruit of the womb to come to them. “They promise to take care of them. When the children are born, the women are paid off while their babies are then sold off to whosoever they will. Another way these people operate is that they have clients who are paid to get pregnant. Some of those who do the “miracle babies” thing in their churches approach places such these to get babies.