Erbil woman gives birth to 6 babies, 2 more than expected

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A woman in Erbil has given birth to six babies, two more than what doctors had detected during scans. 

“We thought they were four. We didn’t know they were six until they were born. Only four of them were visible during the scan,” said the father Rawand Mohammed Amin. 

The five boys and one girl were born premature at 24 weeks and weighed between 700 and 900 grams. The 22-year-old mother had received hormonal treatments, according to a health official. 

The babies’ condition is “unstable” and they are in intensive care, said Dr. Shadan Sherwan Hayderi, head of Maternity and Teaching Hospital in Erbil. 

The mother is in good health, but the father, a taxi driver, is worried about the cost of his large family. 

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw told Rudaw on Wednesday that Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has offered support for the family.

The couple already had one child.

The Maternity and Teaching Hospital in Erbil told Rudaw late Wednesday that all six children died.

Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
Updated at 11:15pm