Australian woman gives birth to identical quadrupletsa rare case of natural conception, after a pregnancy that was classified by the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital as “extremely high risk”.
The four girls, who were born by cesarean section at 28 weeks and four days of gestation on July 14, were monozygotic quadruplets, that is, a single fertilized egg divided into four embryos.
The hospital reported that the girls’ mother, Jenitar Na’amoana, 34, and her husband Jortham, already had four children and were “hugely surprised” when they were told they were expecting quadruplets.
Dr. Alexa Bendall, who cared for the mother from the beginning of her pregnancy, estimated that identical quadruplets occur “in one in every 15 million pregnancies” and added that sharing the same placenta “is something unheard of.”
Bendall, an obstetrician and maternal-fetal medicine specialist, said such a pregnancy was very high risk, so the hospital admitted Na’amoana at 25 weeks so they could monitor her.
“We always said if we could get him to 28 weeks, we’d be doing a good job,” Bendall said.
“The fact that we have had four beautiful, healthy babies born at 28 weeks and four days is incredible and we are so happy to be a part of it,” she added.
“Jenitar has faced everything with fortitude from day one… somehow she has avoided all complications and risks for both herself and her babies,” Bendall said.
The newborns are named Emily, Harriet, Catherine and also Alexa, in honor of Alexa Bendall, who described it as “a beautiful tribute.”
“Four miracles” and a campaign
The babies will remain in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit until they are fully developed and “are currently doing extraordinarily well,” Bendall added.
The couple’s other children are between one and ten years old, so the mother recently launched a virtual fundraising campaign to help buy a van with at least ten seats.
In a message from the campaign, which has already received more than US$25,000, Na’amoana wrote:
“Our four precious miracles have arrived safely, and while our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, the reality of caring for four newborns at once has brought us challenges we never could have imagined.”
Naturally conceived quadruplet births are extremely rare; Doctors estimate the chance is about one in 700,000 births.
