A 34-year-old woman from Brisbane has given birth to identical quadruplet daughters in what has been described by doctors as one of the rarest births in the world and a likely Australian first.
The four girls were delivered via caesarean section at 28 weeks and four days. They were monozygotic quadruplets, coming from a single fertilised egg split into four embryos. This kind of pregnancy is extremely rare, estimated to occur in every one in 15 million.
Jenitar Na’amoana and her husband Jortham, already had four children and had not planned for another child when the quadruplets were conceived.
The quadruplets were delivered at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and will stay in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit until they grow to full term. They are doing well and are healthy, doctors have confirmed.
The babies have been named Emily, Harriet, Alexa and Catherine.
The family has set up a GoFundMe fundraising page, asking for help to care for the girls. At the time of publishing over $56,000 had been donated.
“Our four precious miracles have arrived safely, and while our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, the reality of caring for four newborns at once has brought challenges we never could have imagined,” Jenitar wrote.
“We urgently need a larger van with at least 10 or 12 seats, essential baby equipment, and help with ongoing medical, travel, and everyday living expenses.”
Jenitar had been cared for by Dr Alexa Bendall from the start of her pregnancy.
“We always said that if we could get her to 28 weeks, we would be doing well,” Bendall said, as reported by the BBC.
“So the fact that we’ve got four beautiful, healthy babies born at 28 weeks and four days is incredible and we’re very happy to be a part of it.”