An Australian woman has welcomed four identical baby girls into the world following a pregnancy that medical professionals described as extraordinarily rare.
Jenitar Sau Na’amoana, 34, who already had four children at home, delivered the babies last week at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Queensland. Her husband’s name is Jortham, and hospital officials noted the couple had not planned on having more children and were quite surprised by the pregnancy.
“We are very excited to be able to care for this amazing little family, a big family now,” said Dr. Alexa Bendall, a maternal fetal medicine specialist who oversaw Na’amoana’s care, in a statement released by the hospital.
The quadruplets were conceived without any medical assistance — the result of a single fertilized egg that divided into four. Dr. Bendall called that fact “incredible.”
“We think the figures are probably around 1 in 15 million for a case like this to be spontaneously conceived,” Bendall said. “We don’t think it’s ever happened in Australia.”
To put that in perspective, experts say the odds of naturally conceiving quadruplets of any kind stand at roughly 1 in 700,000 — and the vast majority of quadruplet pregnancies involve some form of medical assistance.
Because all four fetuses shared a single placenta, Na’amoana faced a significantly elevated risk of complications throughout her pregnancy. Carrying multiple fetuses generally increases a mother’s chances of experiencing preterm birth, miscarriage, or birth defects, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Na’amoana was under close observation by a large medical team beginning at 10 weeks of pregnancy. At 25 weeks, she was admitted to the hospital as an inpatient so doctors could monitor her around the clock. She gave birth via cesarean section on July 14.
“The fact that we’ve got four beautiful, healthy babies born at 28 weeks and four days is incredible,” Dr. Bendall said. “Mum did lose a little bit of blood but not an excessive amount for having quads, and she’s doing well.”
The four girls are currently receiving care in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and are reported to be doing well. The babies have been named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa — the last name chosen as a tribute to Dr. Bendall herself.
The doctor called the naming a “beautiful tribute” and said she feels privileged to have been part of the experience.
“From an academic perspective, it’s really interesting,” Bendall said. “But also from a human perspective, to be able to be part of the family’s journey and come out with four beautiful babies and a healthy mum is very precious.”
