Australian woman gives birth to rare identical quadruplets in Australian first

An Australian woman has given birth to naturally conceived identical quadruplet girls, a rare event estimated to occur once in every 15 million pregnancies, in what is believed to be a first for Australia. Jenitar Sau Na’amoana, 34, who already had four children, delivered the babies by caesarean section at 28 weeks and four days at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on July 14. Source: SCMP, AP

Pregnancy and birth: The quadruplets were monozygotic, meaning a single fertilized egg split into four, and they shared one placenta, making the pregnancy extremely high-risk. Source: BBC Na’amoana was admitted as an inpatient at 25 weeks for monitoring. Dr. Alexa Bendall, the maternal fetal medicine specialist who cared for her, said the odds of such a spontaneous pregnancy are about 'one in 15 million' and that it is 'unheard of' for quadruplets to share a placenta. Source: Guardian Despite the risks, both mother and babies are doing well; the mother lost a small amount of blood but not excessive. Source: AP The girls are in the neonatal intensive care unit and expected to have a good long-term outlook. Source: Guardian

Names and tribute: The babies are named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa—the latter in honor of Dr. Bendall, who called it a 'beautiful tribute.' Source: CNN, AP The family has set up a GoFundMe to cover expenses and a larger vehicle. Source: Guardian