‘1 in 15 million’: woman in Australia gives birth to identical quadruplet girls

Rare Birth of Identical Quadruplets in Australia

An Australian woman has given birth to identical quadruplet girls after a pregnancy doctors described as incredibly rare, according to reports from The Guardian and the South China Morning Post.

Jenitar Sau Na’amoana, 34, who already had four children, delivered the babies on July 14 at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Queensland state. The infants — Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa — were born by cesarean section at just over 28 weeks.

Dr. Alexa Bendall, a maternal fetal medicine specialist and obstetrician at the hospital who cared for Na’amoana, said in an interview released by the hospital that the pregnancy was considered very high risk. “She has somehow dodged every complication and risk for both herself and her babies to be here today, with four gorgeous newborn girls,” Bendall said.

Rare Conception

The babies were conceived naturally and came from one fertilised egg that split into four, which Bendall described as “incredible.” She added, “We think the figures are probably around 1 in 15 million for a case like this to be spontaneously conceived. We don’t think it’s ever happened in Australia.”

Overall, experts say the chance of conceiving quadruplets naturally is only 1 in 700,000; most such pregnancies are conceived with the assistance of medical technology.

Hospital Care and Family Response

Na’amoana was still breastfeeding the youngest of her four children when she learned she was pregnant again. Bendall said the family “got the surprise of their lives when told their ‘little miracle’ would be a medical marvel.”

The girls are expected to spend an extended period in the hospital before being allowed home. The family has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help care for the newborns.

Bendall, who has been caring for Na’amoana since the beginning of the pregnancy, expressed joy at the outcome. “They are very special. We are very excited to be able to care for this amazing little family, well big family now,” she said. “One is named after me which is such a beautiful tribute.”