Having twins, triplets or even octuplets is not an easy task. But this mother-to-be was prepared to give birth to seven beautiful babies. But she didn't expect to give birth to even more children!
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Nine babies instead of the planned seven
On Tuesday 4 May 2021, the Malian Ministry of Health sent out a press release explaining that Halima Cissé, a young Malian woman, had just given birth to nine babies by c-section during a stay in Morocco. So far, nothing strange, well, except for the impressive number of newborns.
What caught the attention of the Malian health authorities seems to be the lack of accuracy in the ultrasound scans performed. Indeed, the young mother would have undergone several tests showing that she was expecting seven children... and not nine. But what could have happened for such a mistake to occur? For now, no explanation has been given.
A country mobilised behind a cause
Faced with the miraculous birth of these five girls and four boys, who are 'all doing well' according to the Malian government's communiqué, Mali mobilised.
The President of the Republic, Bah N'Daw, had closely followed this unusual pregnancy himself. Halima Cissé, from Timbuktu in northern Mali, had received all the care she needed to give birth in the best possible conditions. For example, she spent time in a hospital in the capital Bamako, before being transferred to Morocco to give birth to her children.
The mother and her nine babies should soon be reunited with their families. The story does not say whether Halima had enough nappies for all nine children!
