Nonomom: Mexican Woman Pregnant With 9 Babies

A woman in Mexico is reportedly pregnant with nine babies, and currently resting at a local hospital. The woman, dubbed “nonomom” is due to give birth on May 20th.

The babies, six girls and three boys, are reportedly doing well inside their mother’s womb, though little details have emerged about the pregnancy itself.

The mom to be, Karla Vanessa Perez, lives in the northern state of Coahuila, which borders Texas. The hospital where she is currently is in the state capital Saltillo. Perez’s age has not been disclosed, but a local news report stated that she received fertility treatment in order to become pregnant.

Perez told news agency Notimex that, “It’s very early to think of names for the babies…First I hope that everything goes well.”

If the babies survive, their successful delivery would make for one of the highest multiple births ever recorded. Only two other nontuplet births have been recorded (neither in the U.S.), but the babies did not survive longer than a week.

In 2009, single mom Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies, six boys and two girls, and was subsequently dubbed the “octomom.” At the time, the babies were the longest surviving set of octuplets in U.S. history. Suleman has been a source of controversy since the birth, and in 2011, the doctor who implanted Suleman with 12 embryos had his license revoked.

Fertility doctors offering in vitro fertilization, the procedure that both Suleman and Perez underwent, have been urged to implant only a few embryos in the process. This is because high multiples increase the risk of preterm birth, and also have a reduced infant survival rate. Recent research has also discovered that babies conceived through fertility treatments, such as IVF and artificial insemination, are more likely to have a birth defect.