Family welcomes one-in-15-million identical quadruplets: ‘Our miracle babies’

BRISBANE, Australia (7News) - A young Australian family has welcomed four identical baby girls in a birth so rare doctors believe it may be the first naturally conceived pregnancy of its kind in the country.

Too tiny for their parents’ arms just yet, quadruplets Emily, Harriet, Alexa and Catherine are proof the rarest beginnings can have the brightest futures.

“They have come from one fertilized egg that has split 4 times, which is incredible,” said Dr. Alexa Bendall, maternal fetal medicine specialist and obstetrician at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

Spontaneously conceived identical quadruplets are estimated to occur in around one in 15 million pregnancies. So, it’s an Australian first and one of only a few cases worldwide.

Parents Jenitar Na’amoana, 34, and her husband, Jortham, already had four kids ranging in age from 1 to 10 years. After rolling the dice one more time, the couple were surprised to learn they were having four more babies instead of one.

The quadruplets shared a single placenta, but each developed in their own amniotic sac, making the pregnancy particularly complex.

“There is a high risk of mortality and morbidity for these babies and for mum,” Bendall said.

But thanks to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, the four girls were safely delivered last Tuesday by caesarean section at 28 weeks. Each baby weighed just over 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds.

Na’amoana shared an emotional update on Facebook after welcoming her daughters.

“Every day our miracle babies grow stronger is another answered prayer. We love you more than words can ever say,” she wrote.

For now, the girls remain in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, growing stronger every day. In a few months, when they’ve reached full term, they should be ready to go home.

“Long-term, their outlook will be really good,” Bendall said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family of 10 get a larger van and essential baby equipment as well as deal with ongoing medical, travel and everyday living expenses.