The world's only nonuplets - nine babies born at the same time - have returned home to Mali after spending the first 19 months of their lives in Morocco.
Last May, parents Halima Cissé and Abdelkader Arby welcomed five girls and four boys into their lives. Afterward, the newborns spent the first few months of their lives in incubators in Casablanca, according to BBC.
The babies arrived at 30 weeks and broke the Guinness World Record for the most children delivered in a single birth to survive - a record that was previously held by Nadya Suleman, who had octuplets in 2009.
Following a successful delivery, the outlet reported that after living with medical support in Morocco, the family arrived back at their home in Mali on December 13.
Watch the BBC coverage of their story below:Nonuplets are extremely rare, and until last year, no cases had been reported of nine infants from a single birth surviving for more than a few hours.
The 27-year-old mom's pregnancy captivated the West African nation and even drew the attention of its leaders. In March 2021, when doctors said she needed professional supervision, authorities flew her to Morocco, where she gave birth.
After receiving treatment, the parents arrived back in the Malian capital, Bamako. The father, Arby, expressed his gratitude to the government for financially supporting his family.
"It's a lot of work but Allah, who gave us this blessing, will help us in their upbringing and taking care of them," he said after their arrival, per BBC.
The publication also revealed that Health Minister Diéminatou Sangara said the government will continue to support the enormous brood.
The babies were born by Caesarean section at 30 weeks. They weighed between just 500g and 1kg at the time of birth, according to Professor Youssef Alaoui, the director of the Ain Borja.
Before their birth, doctors believed the mom was only expecting seven children. Alaoui spoke about the moment they discovered the mother was going to give birth to nine babies during an interview with Today.
"So you can imagine our surprise when we discovered nine of them during the birth," the professor said. "Luckily this didn't faze us."
Earlier this year, the family celebrated the babies' birthdays and their father told BBC that each one of them has a unique personality.
"They all have different characters. Some are quiet, while others make more noise and cry a lot. Some want to be picked up all the time. They are all very different, which is entirely normal," he said.
Arby also revealed that the family has become very renowned in their home country and that people were "very keen to see the babies with their own eyes".
The dad also reflected on having a massive clan and said: "They're all crawling now. Some are sitting up and can even walk if they hold on to something."
He admitted that it can feel "tiring at times," saying, "It's not easy but it's great," however, he noted how appreciative the couple feels that their babies are "in perfect health".
