Australian woman gives birth to rare identical quadruplets

International

AN AUSTRALIAN couple has welcomed four identical baby girls following an extremely rare naturally conceived pregnancy.

In a report by BBC, the babies were delivered through a caesarian section on July 14 at 28 weeks and 4 days at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Doctors identified the siblings as monozygotic quadroplets, a condition in which a single fertilized egg splits into four embryos.

According to the report, maternal fetal medicine specialist Dr. Alexa Bendall said identical quadruplet pregnancies are estimated to occur in only about one in 15 million pregnancies

Bendall described the outcome as remarkable, saying, “the fact that we’ve got four beautiful, healthy babies born at 28 weeks and four days is incredible.”

The newborns— Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa— remain under the care of the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and are reported to be progressing well.

The babies’ parents, Jenitar Na’amoana and her husband, Jortham, who already have four children, have launched an online fundraising campaign to help purchase a larger vehicle and meet the needs of their growing family.

“Our four precious miracles have arrived safely,” Na’amoana wrote in the fundraiser, as the family prepares for the challenges of caring for four newborns at the same time.(Rythrishia Almacin Llagas, UP Cebu Comm Intern)