A 25-year-old woman who was expected to give birth to seven children was surprised to discover two more babies bundled in her womb during childbirth, making her one of only a few women in history to give birth to nonuplets.
Doctors in Mali’s capital, Bamako, told Timbuktu resident Halima Cisse that she would be having seven children. The surprising news was backed by a second opinion from doctors in Morocco.
Before she went into labour, Cisse’s birth had already made national headlines. Malians were so invested that the country’s president, Bah N’Daw, directed Cisse to be sent to North Africa in late March to give birth with specialists present.
She was admitted to a Moroccan clinic on March 20 and was put on bedrest until Tuesday, when she gave birth.
According to Mali’s health ministry, she did so via cesarean section to a whopping five boys and four ladies.