Octomom plus four: Tunisian woman pregnant with 12 babies, may break Nadya Suleman's record: report

Jacob E. Osterhout
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, August 17th 2009, 5:50 PM

Slezak/Getty

That's going to be some pregnant belly: A woman in Tunisia is reportedly pregnant with 12

Move over, "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

Several British media outlets are reporting that a Tunisian teacher is set to give birth to twelve babies this month, breaking the record of "Octomom" Nadya Suleman, who delivered healthy octuplets in January.

The woman, whose name has yet to be released, is in her thirties and lives in a town southwest of the capital Tunis. She underwent fertility treatment after suffering two previous miscarriages and is currently pregnant with six boys and six girls.

The expectant father, a high school Arabic teacher, said that he and his wife of two years initially expected twins, but were overjoyed once they found out about the duodecaplets.

He also claims that his wife desires a natural birth, but medical experts say this is impossible - and also say that the likelihood of all 12 babies surviving is slim.

"When you get to a pregnancy with that many multiples, often some of them spontaneously die," said Dr. Manny Alvarez, managing health editor of Fox News. "Anything more than five babies becomes a very high-risk pregnancy."

"It is certainly possible to carry 12 babies but not for long," Peter Bower-Simpkins of London's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists told the Daily Mail. "The problem is the capacity of the uterus. This woman is going to be enormous by 20 weeks. And when the uterus goes into labor there is nothing you can do about it.

"I wouldn't even give her a one in 100 chance of even one surviving. It's frightening," Simpkins added.

The Tunisian government has already vowed to support the future mother and her family, the Daily Mail reports.

Ut/AP

'Octomom' Nadya Suleman of California holds the record for most multiples brought to term

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/08/17/2009-08-17_octomom_plus_four_tunisian_woman_pregnant_with_12_babies_set_to_break_nadya_sule.html#ixzz0OXN4mKHv