A Saudi woman gave birth to quintuplets this week at a hospital located in the kingdom's Al-Ahsa governorate. The children were delivered through a cesarean procedure (C-section) conducted at the city's Maternity and Children Hospital.
During the operation, the woman gave birth to three boys and two girls who weigh between 0.9 and 1.1 kilograms each. A huge medical team made up of 13 maternity specialists and 45 medical staff helped with the delivery.
It took a week of observation and preparatory meetings before doctors decided to deliver the babies via C-section in order to ensure their safety.
The newborns and their mother are in good health but are currently being monitored. The five infants are under care in the medical center's neonatal intensive care unit.
The news soon became the topic of discussion on Saudi Twitter as thousands congratulated the parents and welcomed the babies to the world.
The babies broke Saudi Twitter
"Say mashallah"
"They're so cute"
Not the first multiple births to make headlines in the region
Earlier this year, an Iraqi woman gave birth to septuplets in the country's Diyali governorate. Though the seven babies were born in good health, only one of them went on to survive.
In 2018, a mother gave birth to sextuplets in Lebanon's Saint George University Hospital. The complex birth procedure was handled by a large team of doctors who ensured it went smoothly. The babies' mother and father were already parents to four kids when they got the news of the mother's pregnancy.