World-record nonuplets return home to Mali for the first time since birth
A mother who gave birth to the world's only nonuplets, or nine babies born at the same time, has safely taken her bundles of joy back to their hometown in Mali after spending the first 19 months of their lives in Morocco.
The 27-year-old mother, Halima Cissé, gave birth to her five girls (named Adama, Oumou, Hawa, Kadidia, and Fatouma) and four boys (Oumar, Elhadji, Bah, and Mohammed VI) on May 4 last year.
However, instead of delivering them at a hospital in her hometown, she had to be flown to Morocco for specialist care and has since been living with medical support in Casablanca.
At first, doctors in Mali believed that she was carrying seven children, but after being transferred to Morocco, two more were detected.
As she is the only person in the world to deliver nine babies in a single labor, the Guinness World Record awarded them the title for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.
The title previously belonged to eight babies born to California resident Nadya Suleman, famously known as "Octomom", back in 2009.
According to Guinness World Record, Cissé and her children had been living in Morocco in a specially-equipped flat owned by the clinic, where nurses assist her in caring for her nine babies.
The clinic has also imposed a strict diet on the children to ensure that they receive all the nutrients they need since they were also born prematurely through Caesarean section.
After spending much time in Morocco, Cissé and her children were finally flown back to Bamako, Mali, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to a report by BBC News. The father, Abdelkader Arby, expressed his gratitude to the Malian government for the financial assistance given to his family.
"It's a lot of work but Allah, who gave us this blessing, will help us in their upbringing and taking care of them," Arby said.
Health Minister Diéminatou Sangara meanwhile stressed the government will still continue supporting the family with their needs.