A 34-year-old woman, Jenitar Sau Na’amoana, gave birth to naturally conceived quadruplets: a very rare case according to experts, which occurs approximately once in 15 million. The incredible birth took place at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Queensland, Australia, leaving the doctors who took care of it speechless.
Four identical twins
The 34-year-old and her husband Jortham, already parents of four young children, have thus doubled their offspring in just one day. Dr. Alexa Bendall, the fetal medicine specialist who directly followed the pregnancy, provided some details about the case in a video shared on social media by the health facility: “The four fetuses were formed from a single egg, which divided into four embryos without the aid of assisted reproductive techniques. Sharing the same placenta is something practically never seen before. We don’t think it has ever happened before in Australia and, globally, there may only be a couple of documented cases.”
“The twins – added the doctor – will now spend a period in our specialized neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where they will remain under observation, but their health conditions are excellent”.
Complicated pregnancy
The four girls are called Emily, Harriet, Catherine and Alexa: the youngest was named in honor of Dr. Bendall, who supported the family during the difficult pregnancy. In fact, when fetuses share the placenta, the risks of complications increase, from growth problems to cardiovascular difficulties. Fortunately, the doctors managed to carry the pregnancy up to the 28th week, with the birth being completed without any unexpected events. According to experts, the frequency of natural quadruple births is approximately 1 case in 700 thousand, while identical quadruple births are much rarer, with a frequency of approximately 1 case in 15 million.