Australian woman gives birth to rare identical quadruplet daughters - CBS News

What the report says

CBS News reported that Jenitar Na'amoana, 34, and her husband, Jortham, have welcomed four identical daughters in Australia after what was described as an unexpected natural conception. The girls — Emily, Harriet, Catherine and Alexa — were born last week at 28 weeks and four days, according to the report.

Dr. Alexa Bendall of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital told CBS News the birth of four healthy babies at that stage was remarkable. The report said the quadruplets are genetically identical because one fertilized egg divided into four embryos, leaving all four daughters with the same DNA. CBS described the pregnancy as a roughly one-in-15-million event.

The Na'amoanas already had four children and believed their family was complete before learning they were expecting quadruplets. The case is notable because identical quadruplets conceived without assisted reproduction are extremely rare and can involve heightened medical risk, particularly when babies are born premature.

CBS also cited a comparable case from 2020, when the Marr family in Dallas welcomed naturally conceived identical quadruplet sons. Jenny Marr, reflecting on her family’s experience, offered practical advice to the Na'amoanas, including keeping the babies on a sleep routine and ensuring the mother has support. The story’s broader significance lies in the rarity of the birth and the medical attention required for premature identical multiples.