A Malian woman gave birth to nine babies after only expecting seven, the Ministry of Health of Mali announced Wednesday.
Halima Cisse, 25, gave birth to the babies Tuesday by cesarean section in a hospital in Casablanca, Morocco, according to the Associated Press. The nonuplets were born prematurely at 30 weeks, but all five girls, four boys and the mother are “doing well,” the health minister of Mali said in a statement.
This picture – complete with heart emojis – has been shared by Mali’s Health Ministry with the news of the birth of #nonuplets…. yes, that’s nine babies! Mum Halima Cisse, and the babies (five girls and four boys), are “all doing well”. @itvnews pic.twitter.com/zs0vK4MenA
— Faye Barker (@FayeBarker) May 5, 2021
Cisse is now set to update the Guinness record for most living births at once — the title was previously held by American Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to eight in 2009, earning her the nickname “Octomom.” (RELATED: Woman Gives Birth One Day After Crossing The Border Illegally)
The doctors in Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world where hospitals are ill-equipped for such complex procedures, recommended sending Cisse to Morocco, according to the AP. Doctors in the private Ain Borja clinic in Casablanca were briefed on Cisse’s pregnancy one and half months before she was due, which helped the medical team make necessary preparations, the report says.
Cisse was heavily bleeding, but her condition stabilized after receiving blood transfusion, the AP reported.
“I’m very happy,” Adjudant Kader Arby, the nonuplet’s father, told the BBC. “God gave us these children. He is the one to decide what will happen to them. I’m not worried about that. When the Almighty does something, he knows why.”
It is not the first case of nine babies born at once, but babies from the two previous sets of nonuplets – recorded in 1971 in Australia and in 1999 in Malaysia – did not survive more than a few days, the BBC reported.