Zahra Aboutalib Moroccan woman, pregnant 46 years Country: Morocco

Biography of Zara Abutalib

Zara Abutalib, a Moroccan woman, became pregnant at the age of 46. The presumed baby was carefully examined, primarily through ultrasound, which revealed that Zara had an ectopic pregnancy, meaning the fetus was developing outside of the uterus. Zara was supposed to give birth to the child back in 1955. The pregnancy progressed normally, but when her water broke, she fled the hospital without delivering the baby, witnessing another woman's death during childbirth. Terrified by what she saw, Zara ran away without delivering the baby herself. For an ordinary person, this escape would have been a temporary solution, as how long can a baby stay in the womb after the breaking of the water? However, Zara was a Moroccan, and according to the myths of her people, a baby can remain inside the mother for as long as necessary, which not only does no harm to the woman but also preserves her honor. Abutalib embraced the "sleeping infant theory" closely and took no action for a remarkable 46 years.

Over time, it became evident that the beneficial effect of the "sleeping infant" was clearly exaggerated, as Zara began to experience excruciating pain. Eventually, Abutalib sought medical help. The presumed baby was carefully examined, primarily through ultrasound, which revealed how Zara managed to retain the pregnancy for such a long time - her pregnancy was ectopic. Traditionally, an ectopic pregnancy leads to a miscarriage or is artificially terminated, and if left untreated, it can easily result in the premature death of the mother. Fortunately, Zara was lucky. The developed fetus not only did not cause significant harm to her body, but it was also not expelled prematurely. After the ultrasound, Zara Abutalib had to undergo surgery. After a complex operation that lasted almost 8 hours, something resembling a baby was extracted from the Moroccan woman's body, only remotely. With a keen eye, one could see a certain resemblance, except for the fact that this baby was... made of stone.

Further investigations helped the doctors answer almost all the questions. Zara was fortunate twice: firstly, the fetus began developing in a place where it practically caused no harm to the woman for 46 years, and secondly, it did not decompose - otherwise, the infection would have undoubtedly killed Abutalib. Zara's sleeping baby was de facto mummified, as her body did not reject it, mistaking it for some strange organ. Throughout world history, there have been no more than 300 similar cases documented.