Record-setting nonuplet babies in stable condition

The nine children born three weeks ago to 25-year-old Halima Cissé—five girls and four boys—have a dedicated medical staff working around the clock to monitor their health and growth. Cissé, a Malian native, was medically evacuated to Morocco in March so doctors could monitor her and the babies’ health. She gave birth via cesarean section at 30 weeks of gestation, and they each weighed between 1.1 and 2.2 pounds. According to the Moroccan clinic’s pediatric neonatologist, the babies have deficiencies in their lungs, heads, and hearts, but “we are in week three and the condition of the babies is stable.”

How rare are nonuplets? Two previous sets were born in the 1970s, but none of the babies survived. Until now, the world record for most surviving babies delivered in a single birth belonged to Nadya Suleman and her octuplets, born in 2009.

Dig deeper: Read about Angela Lu Fulton’s experience in a Taiwan postpartum center after she gave birth to her son.