“Miracle” Indian baby born with forearms and forelegs

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A “miracle” baby with two pairs of extra limbs was born to a family in India, and they claim to have been blessed by the gods as a result.

Due to an additional set of limbs attached to the abdomen, the baby was born with four arms and four legs. He arrived on Saturday weighing 6.5 pounds (3 kilograms), and both the mother (who has been given the name Kareena but no last name has been approved) and the child have been deemed healthy.

The New York Post reports that those who believe the infant may be a reincarnation of the four-armed Hindu goddess Lakshmi have shown religious interest in the child. Wealth, beauty, and fertility are just a few of the aspects of prosperity that Lakshmi rules over.

It is still unclear who the family is and what caused their extra limbs. However, the baby’s condition is thought to be caused by polymelia, a disorder that results in extra and useless limbs in people. A conjoined twin scenario, in which only one twin develops fully, can result in polymelia, which is uncommon. One who stops developing is fundamentally absorbed by the other twin. Children born with extra limbs or fingers typically have them surgically removed.