A WOMAN is pregnant with 12 babies and plans to have a natural birth with all of them despite medical experts' advice that it is impossible.

The unnamed mother-to-be - a teacher from Tunisia - is said to be defying medical advice by vowing to give birth to six girls and six boys, reports The Sun newspaper.



If she succeeds, her brood - conceived after fertility treatment - will smash the world record for multiple births.



The tots' father, identified only as Marwan, is backing her. He beamed: "In the beginning we thought that my wife would give birth to twins.



"But more foetuses were discovered. Our joy increased with the growing number."



British fertility experts warned the pregnancy in the Tunisian oasis town of Gafsa carried "colossal" risks. All nine babies born to the current record-holder - an Australian mum in 1971 - died in Sydney.



She was also "looking forward to hugging her six boys and six girls". The wife had sought help after previously suffering the anguish of several miscarriages.



The Tunisian government is said to have pledged to do all it can to care for the mother and her babies.



Read more here.



Originally published as Woman pregnant with 12 bubs