Most of us are familiar with the terms twins, triplets and quadruplets, but do we know the word for nine babies born at a single birth? The answer is nonuplets. A 25-year-old Malian woman, Halima Cisse, has given birth to nine babies. This is a new world record. The previous record was by an American woman who had eight babies (octuplets). People in Mali avidly followed Ms Cisse's pregnancy and wished her well. They were pleasantly surprised when doctors announced the nonuplets. After having scans, Ms Cisse was told she would have seven babies (septuplets).
Ms Cisse is in good health and her babies (five boys and four girls) were doing well. Mali's health minister congratulated her on the "happy outcome". He praised medical teams in Morocco, where Ms Cisse gave birth. He also thanked Mali's president for his "leadership and generosity" which helped Halima. It was a little touch-and-go in the early stages of the pregnancy. Gynecologists were concerned about Ms Cisse's welfare and the chances of her babies' survival. They asked a hospital in Morocco for help. They believed Ms Cisse would receive better pre- and postnatal care.