A 34-year-old woman from Brisbane has defied the odds and delivered four naturally conceived, identical quadruplets in what is believed to be an Australian first.
Jenitar Na’amoana, who already had four children, was not planning another pregnancy but the quadruplets emerged from a “one in 15 million” pregnancy, splitting into four from a single fertilised egg.
Birth at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Na’amoana became a mother of eight after delivering her girls by C-section at just over 28 weeks at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital surrounded by a huge support team.
“This is unheard of ... we don’t think it has ever happened in Australia,” Alexa Bendall, a maternal foetal medicine specialist and obstetrician at the hospital, said. “There may have been a couple of cases elsewhere in the world and when I say a couple, literally two.”
Surprise Pregnancy
Na’amoana was still breastfeeding the youngest of her four children when she was told she had again fallen pregnant. They got the surprise of their lives when told their “little miracle” would be a medical marvel.
“When they went along and found out they had four babies instead of one they were quite shocked,” Bendall said.
The Quadruplets
The girls arrived on 14 July and were named Emily, Harriet, Catherine and Alexa – the latter named after Dr Bendall, who has been caring for Na’amoana since she first discovered the surprise news.
“They are very special. We are very excited to be able to care for this amazing little family, well big family now,” Bendall said. “One is named after me which is such a beautiful tribute.”
High-Risk Pregnancy
The pregnancy was considered very high risk but Na’amoana had “taken everything in her stride from day one”, Bendall said. “We have never seen a spontaneously conceived pregnancy of this type with quads, and she has somehow dodged every complication and risk for both herself and her babies to be here today, with four gorgeous newborn girls.”
The girls are expected to spend an extended period in the hospital before being allowed home but their long-term outlook looks really good, Bendall said.
Fundraiser
The family have set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help care for the girls with money going towards medical, travel and everyday living expenses as well as a van “with at least 10 or 12 seats”.
