A mother in Australia has given birth to four identical baby girls after an extremely rare natural pregnancy. The babies were born at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on 14 July. They arrived by caesarean section at 28 weeks and four days, making them premature but healthy.
Doctors said the babies are identical quadruplets. This happened because one fertilised egg split into four embryos. Pregnancies like these are incredibly rare. Medical experts estimate they happen only once in around 15 million pregnancies.
The girls’ mother, 34-year-old Jenitar Na’amoana, and her husband, Jortham, already have four children. They were shocked when doctors told them they were expecting four babies instead of one.
Dr Alexa Bendall, a maternal-foetal medicine specialist who cared for Jenitar during her pregnancy, said the case was extraordinary. She explained that the babies also shared a single placenta, making the pregnancy even more unusual and risky.
Because of the high risk, Jenitar was admitted to hospital when she was 25 weeks pregnant. Doctors monitored her closely to protect both her and the babies. Their goal was to reach at least 28 weeks before delivery.
The babies were successfully delivered at 28 weeks and four days. Dr Bendall said the outcome was better than the medical team had hoped for. She also praised Jenitar for remaining strong throughout the pregnancy and avoiding many of the serious complications doctors had expected.
The four girls have been named Emily, Harriet, Catherine and Alexa. One baby was named after Dr Bendall as a way of thanking her for the care she provided. All four newborns are now being cared for in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors say they are doing very well and will remain there until they are strong enough to go home.
The family’s older children are between one and 10 years old. After the birth, Jenitar started an online fundraising campaign to help buy a vehicle with at least 10 seats for their growing family. The fundraiser has already received more than A$37,000 in donations from supporters.
