Halima Cissé and Abdelkader Arby, parents of the world’s only surviving nonuplets, have been looking back fondly on the past few years with their extraordinary children. The Malian couple shared touching photos capturing special moments with their five daughters and four sons, nearly two months after the siblings celebrated their fourth birthday.
The Malian couple welcomed the nonuplets in Morocco, where the babies made history as the first known surviving set of nine children born in a single birth. The delivery took place in Casablanca on May 4, 2021, when Cissé was 30 weeks pregnant. Due to the high-risk nature of the pregnancy, all nine babies were delivered prematurely by C-section.
At birth, each of the nine newborns weighed between 1.1 and 2.2 pounds. Despite the challenges, all survived and have continued to grow over the years. The parents’ post showed the children thriving and full of life at age 4.
Cissé has said that she did not undergo any fertility treatments or IVF. The remarkable pregnancy, she insisted, happened naturally. Her story gained international attention, as delivering nine babies naturally and having them all survive was an extraordinary medical and human milestone.
Cissé found out moments before giving birth that she was having nine babies, as she was initially told there were seven.
“As the babies were coming out, there were so many questions going through my mind. I was very aware of what was going on and it seemed as if there was an endless stream of babies coming out of me,” Cissé told Daily Mail.
The mother continued, “My sister was holding my hand but all I could think about was how would I look after them and who was going to help me?”
Four years later, the proud parents looked back on their journey with joy and gratitude, treasuring each moment with their children and the memories they had created together.
An Instagram post from the proud parents of the world’s only surviving nonuplets featured a collection of rare and heartfelt images. The caption read:
“Here are some rare images of our treasures just after they were born, in their tiny hatches and a precious photo of their mum Halima during her exceptional pregnancy.”
The caption was translated by Guinness World Records, which officially recognized the family’s historic achievement four years ago for the most children delivered during a single birth to survive.
The couple went on to express:
“A miracle of life, incredible strength, immense love. We are filled with gratitude for how far we have come and for all the support we have received since the very beginning. Thank you to everyone who has been with us since day one.”
The collection of photos captured the nonuplets – daughters Kadidia, Fatouma, Hawa, Adama, and Oumou, along with sons Mohammed VI, Oumar, Elhadji, and Bah – dressed in matching outfits through various stages of their early years. The images highlighted their growth and the bond they share as siblings.
In a delightful snapshot, one of the boys proudly held the official Guinness World Records plaque, surrounded by his eight siblings and their smiling parents. Notably absent from the post was their older sister, Souda, 6.
Speaking to Guinness in 2025 for the children’s milestone celebration, their mother shared that they “decided to celebrate in a grandiose way, as a celebrity would!”