Halima Cisse, the woman who gave birth to nine babies, will soon take her babies home after they spent five months at a hospital in Morocco.
"All of them are getting on very well, and are a joy to look after," the 26-year-old woman told the Daily Mail. "They are getting stronger every day and it may well be they are allowed to leave full-time medical care soon, so that we can take them home."
Most of the infants weighed around 2 pounds at birth and stayed in incubators at a hospital in Casablanca, Morocco. After gaining weight and strength, the children are now ready to go to their home country or Mali. Cisse came to Morocco for medical intervention earlier this year after her gynecologist in Mali told her that she is pregnant with seven babies. Her husband, Abdelkader Arby, had to stay behind at home due to COVID restrictions while his children were being born.
As it turned, out Cisse actually gave birth to nine, breaking the record for most babies delivered after a natural conception, according to ABC 7. Nadya Suleman held the previous record when she gave birth to eight babies in 2009.
After giving birth at 30 weeks by C-section, Cisse underwent emergency surgery for internal bleeding. Kader, who is relieved to see that his wife and children are now doing well, gives thanks to God.
"Being together as a family is the best thing in the world, and we give thanks to God all the time," said the devout Muslim. "The most important thing is that we are all safe and well and in great hands."
The relieved father was able to join his family in Morocco in July after spending 10 days in quarantine. Now, the couple is ready to introduce their babies to their 2-year-old sister who is at home with relatives.
Kader, a sailor in the Malian Navy, said it will be financially challenging to take care of the huge family. He added that they may have to expand their three-bedroom house. The couple said they are currently using at least 100 diapers per day. Still, they remain grateful for their blessings.
"We are primarily focused on looking after our babies and getting them home," Kader said. "At the moment we have full time care, and that’s a blessing because my wife needs the rest."
The couple's baby boys are named Oumar, Elhadji, Bah and Mohammed VI. The girls’ names are Adama, Oumou, Hawa, Kadidia and Fatouma.
Bah is named after Bah N’Daw, who was serving as Mali’s president of transition earlier this year. It was N’Daw who arranged for Cisse to be taken to Morocco after she spent two weeks at a hospital in Mali.
While Cisse is an only child for her parents, her husband has eight brothers and sisters.
"There is nothing in our family history to explain how this happened other than Allah’s grace. These children are a gift from Him," Kader said.