A woman in Australia has delivered identical quadruplets, a rare event resulting from a single fertilized egg splitting into four embryos. The infants, all girls, were born via caesarean section at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital on 14 July at 28 weeks and four days of gestation.
Dr. Alexa Bendall, the maternal foetal medicine specialist who oversaw the pregnancy, noted that while naturally conceived quadruplets are estimated to occur in one out of every 700,000 births, the specific case of identical quadruplets sharing a single placenta is considered "unheard of." Dr. Bendall further estimated the odds of such a pregnancy at one in 15 million.
The mother, 34-year-old Jenitar Na'amoana, was admitted to the hospital at 25 weeks for close monitoring due to the high-risk nature of the pregnancy. Despite the challenges, Dr. Bendall reported that the mother "dodged every complication" and that the infants are currently "doing extremely well" in the neonatal intensive care unit, where they will remain until reaching full term.
The newborns have been named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa—the latter chosen to honor Dr. Bendall. The parents, who already have four children ranging from one to 10 years old, have launched a fundraising campaign to assist with the costs of expanding their family transport. In a statement regarding the arrival of her "four precious miracles," Na'amoana acknowledged the significant logistical challenges ahead.
Source: BBC News
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