ROYAL BRISBANE HOSPITAL

Woman gives birth to rare identical quadruplet daughters

Elena Rostova
Elena Rostova
NewsHue Author
Four newborn baby girls lying in hospital bassinets at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.

Jenitar Sau Na'amoana, a 34-year-old mother from Queensland, Australia, recently delivered a set of identical quadruplet daughters. This birth occurred at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital on July 14. Doctors describe the medical event as exceptionally rare. The babies were conceived naturally without fertility treatments. They share a single placenta, a condition medical professionals label as unheard of.

Dr. Alexa Bendall, the fetal medicine specialist who managed the case, noted that spontaneous identical quadruplets occur in roughly one out of every 15 million pregnancies. To have these infants share one placenta adds another layer of medical rarity. Na'amoana entered the hospital at 25 weeks of pregnancy and successfully carried the babies for an additional three weeks before undergoing a cesarean section at 28 weeks.

All four infants remain under care in the hospital neonatal intensive care unit. Medical reports state that the newborns are doing well. The family named the girls Emily, Harriet, Alexa, and Catherine. One daughter bears the name of the obstetrician who oversaw the high-risk delivery.

This delivery marks a significant expansion for the Na'amoana family. Jenitar and her husband Jortham were already parents to four children ranging in age from one to ten years old. With the arrival of these quadruplets, their household size has doubled. Hospital staff highlight that Na'amoana avoided the typical complications associated with such pregnancies, a result the medical team finds remarkable given the extreme rarity of the situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How rare are identical quadruplets?+
Medical experts estimate the chance of identical quadruplets is approximately 1 in 15 million pregnancies.
Were fertility treatments used for the quadruplets?+
No, the quadruplets were conceived naturally without the use of fertility treatments.
What is unique about this quadruplet birth?+
The babies shared a single placenta, which medical staff described as an unheard-of occurrence for a spontaneous quadruplet pregnancy.
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Elena Rostova
Elena Rostova
Elena Rostova is a senior correspondent focusing on World politics and US international affairs.