The world’s only nontuplets have celebrated their milestone first birthday!
The world’s only nonuplets, meaning 9 babies born at the same time, celebrated their first birthday on May 4th.
And despite breaking the odds, they are all said to be in great health….
According to the BBC, the nonuplets, 4 boys and 5 girls, where born thirty weeks early in 2021 after their mom, Halima Cissé, was flown to a clinic in Morocco by the Malian government for specialist care.
Following their births, the babies were transferred to incubators and for several months, they remained in the care of the clinic, the Guinness World Record reports.
They also broke the Guinness World Record for most children delivered at a single birth to survive.
Abdelkader Arby, the nonuplets father, spoke with the BBC Afrique about their first birthday and how they are developing.
“They’re all crawling now. Some are sitting up and can even walk if they hold on to something,” he said adding their mom was also doing well.
“It’s not easy but it’s great. Even if it’s tiring at times, when you look at all the babies in perfect health, [in a line] from right to left we’re relieved. We forget everything.”
Arby added that the nonuplets will be having a small birthday celebration with guests including the nurses who still care for them.
Currently, Cissé and the 9 children are living in a “medicalised flat” with nurses “who help to take care of the children.”
The flat belongs to the owners of the Ain Borja clinic where the babies were born.
“Nothing is better than the first year,”Arby said. “We will remember this great moment we are going to experience.”
The 4 nonuplet boys are called Mohammed VI, Oumar, Elhadji, Bah, while the 5 girls are called Kadidia, Fatouma, Hawa, Adama and Oumou, the outlet reports.
Happy first birthday!