The only wedding in the world nine babies born at the same time were “in perfect health” when they celebrated their first birthday, the father told the BBC.
“They’re all crawling now. Some are sitting and can even walk if they hold onto something,” said Abdelkader Arby, an army officer from Mali, a country in West Africa.
The children are still being cared for at the clinic in Morocco where they were born.
Arby said her mother Halima Cissé, 26, is doing well too.
“It’s not easy, but it’s great. Even though it’s exhausting at times when you look at all the babies in perfect health, [em uma linha] from right to left we were relieved. We’ve forgotten everything,” he told the BBC.
He has just returned to Morocco with his threeyearold daughter Souda for the first time in six months.
“I am thrilled to be reunited with my entire family my wife, my children and myself.”
The babies will only have a small birthday party with the nurses and a few people from the building where the family lives, Arby said.
“Nothing is better than the first year. Let’s remember this great moment that we will experience.”
The babies broke the Guinness World Record for most children born in a single birth to survive.
Before the birth, on May 4, 2021, Cissé was flown to Morocco by the Malian government for specialized care.
Multiple births are risky, and mothers with more than four fetuses at one time are advised to abort some in countries where abortion is legal.
There is also a risk of babies developing health problems due to premature birth, such as: B. sepsis (widespread infection) and cerebral palsy.
Ms. Cissé and the children are currently living in what her father called a “medical apartment” owned by the owners of the Ain Borja clinic in Casablanca, where the babies were born.
“In addition to my wife, there are nurses here to help take care of the children,” Arby said.
“The clinic gave them a menu that tells them what to eat at any time of the day or night,” he continued.
The babies, five girls and four boys, were born at 30 weeks, according to Malian Health Minister Fanta Siby. They weighed between 500g and 1kg, Youssef Alaoui, medical director of the Ain Borja clinic, told AFP at the time of the birth.
You were born by caesarean section.
The boys are named Mohammed VI, Oumar, Elhadji, Bah while the girls are named Kadidia, Fatouma, Hawa, Adama and Oumou.
Everyone has a unique personality, said the father.
“They all have different personalities. Some are quiet, others louder and cry a lot. Some want to be held all the time. They are all very different, which is completely normal.”
Arby also thanked the Malian government for their help.
“The state of Mali has prepared everything for the care and treatment of the nine babies and their mother. It’s not easy, but it’s beautiful and comforting,” he said.
You don’t know Mali yet, but are already very popular in the country, said the father.
“Everyone is very excited to see the babies with their own eyes their family, friends, our village, the whole country.”
He also has a message for couples trying to have children: “I hope God blesses all those who don’t have children that they can have what we, the parents of marriages, have right now. It’s beautiful, a real treasure.”