Australia’s Rare Quad Birth Stuns Health Community
On 14 July a 34‑year‑old mother named Jenitar Na’amoana and her husband Jortham welcomed four identical girls into the world. The quadruplets were born via a caesarean section at 28 weeks and 4 days, after a pregnancy diagnosed as “extremely high risk” by Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
It is a medical rarity—monozygotic quadruplets occur in only about one in 15 million pregnancies, and it is unheard‑of for all four to share a single placenta, according to maternal‑fetal medicine specialist Dr Alexa Bendall.
The babies, initially placed in an incubator and attached to breathing devices, are named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa—a tribute to Dr. Bendall.
Their mother was monitored closely from 25 weeks, and blinds were kept to keep the family’s surprise current until the delivery time. The hospital staff celebrated the safe arrival, noting the girls were “currently doing extremely well” in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The family, already parents to five children (ages 1‑10), launched a fundraising campaign to purchase a 10‑seat van. Donations of over A$37,000 have already been received.
The mid‑wife’s team emphasizes the emotional and logistical challenges of raising four newborns at once. The medical community has responded with an outpouring of support and best‑practice advice for families in similar scenarios.
Witnessing this delivery will certainly change the perception of what is possible in neonatal medicine. The world watches as these little miracles continue to grow under hospital care, and the broader community celebrates the remarkable resilience of the parents.
