A Facebook post that has been shared more than 21,000 times claims to show images of a woman who gave birth to eleven babies. However, the claim uses two misleading images as evidence. One of the images shows the famous American “Octomom” who gave birth to eight babies in 2009, and the other shows eleven babies born on the same day in India, to different mothers
The claim, originally posted on a Nigeria-based page on March 12, 2018, is now gaining traction in Kenya. The post urges Facebook users to type “God is great” and share the post quickly to receive their blessings.
A reverse search of the image showing medical staff alongside a row of 11 newborns reveals several articles about a woman giving birth to 11 babies, dating back as far as 2012.
We looked at the background of the image for further clues. The group is pictured in front of a poster which reads, “Test Tube Baby Centre Surat”.
A more specific Google reverse image search of the same photo with the search term “test tube babies Surat” returns several articles debunking claims that a woman had given birth to 11 babies in the city of Surat in western India.
To summarize, a Facebook post claiming that an Indian woman gave birth to eleven babies at once is false. The post used two misleading images, one of the famous American “Octomom” and the other of eleven babies born to different mothers on the same day in India.
The image of the eleven babies was taken after their birth in 2011 at an IVF center in Surat, where 11 couples scheduled their deliveries for November 11, 2011. The claim of a woman giving birth to eleven babies simultaneously is a hoax, and multiple births of this magnitude are extremely rare.