A woman has become a mum-of-nine by giving birth to Nᴏɴᴜᴘʟᴇᴛs after ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴍɪssᴇᴅ two of her babies in a sᴄᴀɴ.
Halima Cisse, 25, from Mali, captured the attention of the Wᴇsᴛ Aғʀɪᴄᴀɴ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ when she delivered her nine babies via C-section on Tuesday. She was flown to Mᴏʀᴏᴄᴄᴏ in March to deliver her children after an ultrasound showed she was expecting seven babies – however she ended up delivering nine. Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs originally thought she would give birth to seven babies after she had an ultrasound. Cisse spent two weeks in Point G Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in the Malian capital of Bamako before she was transferred to Mᴏʀᴏᴄᴄᴏ after the ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴠᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ of Mᴀʟɪ’s Pʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ Tʀᴀɴsɪᴛɪᴏɴ Bᴀʜ N’Dᴀᴡ. She was admitted to the Moroccan ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ on March 20 and finally gave birth on Tuesday. It is currently unclear if her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ was ᴅᴜᴇ to Iɴ ᴠɪᴛʀᴏ ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ (ⒾⓋⒻ) ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ, which is one of the more common ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs of ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇbirths, how much the babies weigh, or how far along she was in her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ.
Mali’s health ᴍɪɴɪsᴛᴇʀ, Fanta Siby, said:” The newborns and the mother are all doing well. Should all nine babies sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ, the birth would ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ the ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅ set by ‘Octomum’ Nadya Suleman in 2009.” The UK’s Royal College of Oʙsᴛᴇᴛʀɪᴄɪᴀɴs ᴀɴᴅ Gʏɴᴀᴇᴄᴏʟᴏɢɪsᴛs (ⓇⒸⓄⒼ), said Ms Cisse’s birth was an ‘ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ ʀᴀʀᴇ event but not impossible’. Asma Khalil, professor of ᴏʙsᴛᴇᴛʀɪᴄs and ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ғᴏᴇᴛᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄɪɴᴇ at St George’s Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in London and ⓇⒸⓄⒼ spokesperson. She said:” A ‘ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ’ is the term used when you are expecting two or more babies at the same time. It occurs in about one in 80 ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs. It’s very positive to see reports that mother and babies are doing well and received the care they needed.”
Husband Adjudant Kader Arby stayed behind in the couple’s home country to be with their older daughter while his wife went abroad. He said: “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. I and my family have been overwhelmed by the support we have received. Everybody called me! Everybody called! The Malian authorities called expressing their joy. I thank them… Even the ᴘʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛ called me.”
