About 25,000 babies are born every year in Northern Ireland and the payment is intended to help pregnant mums stay fit and healthy in the run-up to the birth, and help meet some of the equipment costs. When the claim is approved, the money will be paid directly into the applicant's bank or building society account. Women who apply in the first three months of the year can expect to get the cash in April.

It's been an amazing month for one woman in Los Angeles who gave birth to eight babies with the help of Dr Alejandro Vasquez and the rest of a 46-strong medical team at the Bellflower hospital on January 26th. The only other case of eight live births was in Mexico in 1967, but sadly none of these survived 24 hours. However a woman gave birth to eight live babies in Texas in 1998. Seven of these survived, and recently they celebrated their 10th birthday.

The six boys and two girls just born ranged in weight from 0.67kg to1.47kg - so all were very tiny, but doing well. Two were placed on ventilators, while a third needed oxygen. Each cried heartily and spontaneously after birth, so it looks like the family is going to need some serious sleep advice - for the parents as well as the babies!

Admirably the mother is breastfeeding all eight of her offspring. Doctors said ‘She is a very strong woman, so she probably will be able to handle all eight babies'.

‘It is quite easy to miss a baby when you're anticipating seven babies,' said Dr Harold Henry, Head of Maternal and Fetal Medicine at the hospital ‘We're counting [umbilical] cords and lo and behold, there was another one. Ultrasound doesn't show you everything.'

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Emma