That vulnerability was not surprising.
According to the World Health Organization, premature babies face increased risks because their organs may not yet be fully developed. Complications can include breathing difficulties, infections, problems maintaining body temperature and other serious medical challenges.
The March of Dimes similarly notes that babies born before 37 weeks can experience health problems involving the lungs, brain, heart, eyes and other organs, and some require weeks or months of specialized hospital care before they are ready to go home.
Cissé’s nine children therefore needed far more than ordinary newborn care.
They needed a specialized team capable of watching nine premature babies around the clock.
And the medical staff had to do that for months.
The Long Road Through the Hospital
The first weeks were filled with uncertainty.
Unlike a typical newborn who might leave the hospital after a few days, Cissé’s children required prolonged medical supervision. The babies remained in incubators and were carefully monitored as they grew stronger.
At the beginning, even the medical professionals could not simply assume that the crisis had passed.
The Associated Press reported that the babies were receiving intensive monitoring and that staff were working around the clock to stabilize them.
For their mother, the experience must have been unlike anything most parents could imagine.
Instead of caring for one newborn, Cissé was facing the challenge of eventually caring for nine children born prematurely at nearly the same time.
The medical team also had to protect Cissé herself. The delivery involved significant risks, and she required medical treatment after giving birth. Contemporary reporting noted that she experienced heavy bleeding and received a blood transfusion, while doctors continued monitoring her condition.
The focus, however, quickly turned toward the nine tiny babies.
Cada gramo ganado importaba.
Cada hito de desarrollo importaba.
Y cada día que pasaba sin una complicación mayor representaba otro paso hacia la posibilidad de traer a la familia a casa.
Por qué la supervivencia de los nueve fue tan extraordinaria
Los nacimientos múltiples se complican progresivamente a medida que aumenta el número de fetos.
Los gemelos son relativamente comunes. Los trillizos son mucho menos comunes. Los cuatrillizos y los nacimientos múltiples de orden superior son considerablemente más raros.
Los no uplizos —nueve bebés del mismo embarazo— son extraordinariamente raros.
Antes de los hijos Cissé, se habían reportado otros casos de no uplizos, pero los bebés no sobrevivieron mucho. La Associated Press informó en 2021 que los grupos anteriores de no uplets no habían sobrevivido más allá de varios días.
