Mother names newborn 'Enough'

One South African mother, just 19, named her newborn "Enough" and shrugged off a nurse who questioned whether she was old enough to know how many children she wanted.

In Nigeria, newborn twins have to share a bassinet in a crowded public hospital that doesn't have enough electricity.

"Where there is life, there is hope," their mother said. But as the world's population surpasses 7 billion, fears were stirred anew about how the planet will cope with the needs of so many humans.

The United Nations marked the milestone yesterday, even though it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the globe's 7 billionth occupant because millions of people are born and die each day.

At Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, the strain of caring for a burgeoning population was evident. The droning roar of a generator could be heard throughout one hot ward, where it powered ceiling fans and incubators. While Nigeria is oil-rich, it does not produce nearly enough power for its more than 160 million people.

Seun Dupe, a 32-year-old hairdresser who gave birth to the twins on October 23, remained an optimist despite the staggering burden facing Africa's most populous nation and other developing countries.