A 34-year-old Australian mother has given birth to identical quadruplets conceived without fertility treatments, a medical rarity. Jenitar Na’amoana welcomed Emily, Harriet, Catherine and Alexa via cesarean section at 28 weeks and four days on July 14 at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Queensland.
Doctors described the case as highly unusual, particularly because all four infants shared a single placenta. Identical quadruplets result when a single fertilized egg splits into four embryos. The occurrence is estimated at about 1 in 15 million pregnancies, but sharing a single placenta is considered unprecedented.
Na’amoana and her husband Jortham, already parents to four children aged 1 to 10, are now parents to eight. The couple expressed surprise upon learning they were expecting quadruplets.
Na’amoana was admitted to the hospital at 25 weeks of gestation for close monitoring due to the inherent risks of such a pregnancy. Despite medical concerns, she reached 28 weeks and four days without significant complications for herself or the babies. Dr. Alexa Bendall, who oversaw Na’amoana's care, noted the remarkable outcome of delivering four healthy babies at that gestation.
One of the newborns was named Alexa in honor of Dr. Bendall. The babies are currently in the neonatal intensive care unit to continue growing and gaining strength. To help manage the costs associated with their expanding family, Na’amoana launched a GoFundMe campaign. As of July 21, the fundraiser had garnered over 82,000 Australian dollars (approximately $57,500).