Woman gives birth to six babies in Chattogram

A woman gave birth to six premature babies -- five girls and one boy -- through normal delivery at a private hospital in Chattogram city yesterday afternoon.

The mother, Maryam Begum, is originally from Cox's Bazar and currently resides in the Hillview area of the port city.

All were delivered at National Hospital Chattogram and have been kept in the facility's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for observation.

Dr Nazneen Sultana, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the hospital who conducted the delivery, confirmed that Maryam gave birth through a normal process.

"Since there are so many babies, their weights are relatively low. That's why they have been admitted to the NICU," she said.

According to hospital sources, the babies were born at 30 weeks of gestation — significantly earlier than the standard full-term period of 37 to 40 weeks.

Jahid Hossain, a medical officer at the NICU, said the infants' weights range between 600 grams and 1,200 grams.

"The standard birth weight for a full-term baby is between 2.5 and 3 kilogrammes. These babies are premature and underweight, which puts them at risk," he said.

"Although their condition is currently stable, such premature infants may develop complications within 48 hours of birth," he added.

Maryam's husband, Noor Ahmed, was not immediately available for comment. The family could not be reached despite multiple attempts.

This is the second such case reported in Chattogram within weeks. On April 24, a woman named Rikta gave birth to five babies at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.