three are still intubated, relying on the machines to pump air into their tiny lungs, the hospital’s communications director, according to Abdelkoddous Hafsi, the communications director for Groupe Akdital, which owns the clinic.
During childbirth, Cissé’s husband, Adjudant Kader Arby, remained in Mali with their daughter, according to the BBC.
Arby told the network he’s “very happy” that his wife and the nine babies are doing well.
“God gave us these children. He is the one to decide what will happen to them. I’m not worried about that. When the almighty does something, he knows why,” he told BBC Afrique.
He also says the family has been overwhelmed by the support they have received.
“Everybody called me! Everybody called! The Malian authorities called expressing their joy. I thank them… Even the president called me.”
The current world record for the number of live births is eight – a mark set by Nadya Suleman of California in 2009, according to Guinness World Records. But that feat also sparked controversy as medical experts and the public debated the use of fertility treatments to produce octuplets. Suleman’s eight children were delivered nine weeks premature, also by C-section.
A Guinness World Records representative told NPR that “we are yet to verify this as a record as the wellbeing of both the mother and babies are of top priority.” The organization said it’s looking into the possible new record, employing a specialist consultant for the case.
The clinic says it plans to keep the nonuplets in care for at least three months, alongside their mother.