South African woman gives birth to 10 babies in Pretoria - reports
A South African woman has reportedly given birth to 10 babies in what would be a new world record, the BBC has reported.
Gosiame Thamara Sithole's husband says they were astonished by decuplets after scans only showed eight in the womb.
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"It's seven boys and three girls. I am happy. I am emotional. I can't talk much," her husband Teboho Tsotetsi told Pretoria News after the birth.
One South African official confirmed the births to the BBC, however another said they were yet to see the babies.
Guinness World Records told the BBC it was investigating Ms Sithole's case.
A woman who had eight babies in the US in 2009 currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.
Most pregnancies involving large numbers of babies end prematurely, says BBC Africa's health reporter Rhoda Odhiambo.
Multiple births involving more than three babies are rare and often the result of fertility treatments - but in this case the couple say they conceived naturally.
Prayers and sleepless nights
Ms Sithole, 37, previously gave birth to twins, who are now six years old.
She is said to be in good health after delivering by caesarean section 29 weeks into her pregnancy in Pretoria on Monday evening.
Speaking to Pretoria News a month ago, Ms Sithole said her pregnancy was "tough at the beginning" and she had prayed for a healthy birth, with many a sleepless night worrying about what was to come.
When it was thought she was carrying eight foetuses, Ms Sithole was suffering leg pains and doctors found that two of the eight "were in the wrong tube".
"That was sorted and I have been okay since then. I can't wait for my children," she told the newspaper at the time.
Her husband also said he was over the moon, and felt like "one of God's chosen children. It's a miracle which I appreciate".
credit: BBC