Rare identical quadruplets born in Australia

What the report says

BBC World News reported that an Australian mother has delivered rare naturally conceived identical quadruplets at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Jenitar Na’amoana, 34, gave birth by caesarean section on 14 July at 28 weeks and four days. The four girls — named Emily, Harriet, Catherine and Alexa — were described by the hospital as monozygotic quadruplets, meaning one fertilised egg divided into four embryos.

According to the BBC, Na’amoana and her husband, Jortham, already have four children and were shocked to learn during the pregnancy that they were expecting four more. Dr Alexa Bendall, the maternal foetal medicine specialist and obstetrician who cared for Na’amoana, said identical quadruplets are estimated at about one in 15 million pregnancies, and indicated that sharing a single placenta made the case even more unusual.

The hospital treated the pregnancy as extremely high risk and admitted Na’amoana for inpatient monitoring at 25 weeks. Bendall said reaching 28 weeks had been a key goal, and she credited the mother with avoiding major complications. The babies are expected to remain in neonatal intensive care until they reach full term, and Bendall said they were doing very well.

The BBC also reported that the family has started an online fundraiser to help buy a vehicle with at least 10 seats, with more than A$37,000 in donations recorded. The case drew attention because naturally conceived quadruplets are rare, and identical quadruplets involving the same placenta are rarer still.