Brisbane, Australia — In what doctors describe as a “one in 15 million” medical rarity, 34-year-old Jenitar Na’amoana has given birth to identical quadruplet girls following a naturally conceived pregnancy that defied extraordinary odds.

The four daughters — Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa — were delivered by cesarean section at 28 weeks and four days on July 14 at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Herston, Queensland. All four babies are monozygotic quadruplets, meaning they developed from a single fertilized egg that split into four embryos. Adding to the extreme rarity, the girls shared a single placenta — a situation doctors called “unheard of.”

Na’amoana and her husband Jortham, already parents to four children aged between one and 10, were stunned to learn they were expecting quadruplets without any fertility treatments. “We were taken by immense surprise,” the family shared through hospital reports.

Dr. Alexa Bendall, a maternal fetal medicine specialist who oversaw Na’amoana’s care from the beginning of the pregnancy, highlighted the exceptional risks involved. The mother was admitted to the hospital at 25 weeks for close monitoring.

“Identical quadruplets occur at one in every 15 million pregnancies, but to share the same placenta — this is unheard of,” Dr. Bendall said. “We don’t think it’s ever happened in Australia.”

Despite the high-risk nature of the pregnancy, Na’amoana reached 28 weeks and four days without major complications, allowing the four girls to be born healthy, though premature. The newborns are currently receiving care in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where they are reported to be doing “extremely well” as they continue to grow stronger.

In a touching gesture, one of the babies was named Alexa in honor of Dr. Bendall. “I’m incredibly honoured,” the doctor said, calling it “a beautiful tribute.”

The arrival of the quadruplets has doubled the family’s size to 10 members, prompting practical challenges. Na’amoana has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical expenses and purchase a larger van suitable for their growing household. As of July 21, the fundraiser had raised more than A$82,000 (approximately US$57,500).

“Our four precious miracles have arrived safely,” Na’amoana wrote in the campaign. “And while our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, the reality of caring for four newborns at once has brought challenges we never could have imagined.”

The family’s story has captured hearts across Australia and beyond, celebrating the joy and resilience behind this extraordinary birth.

Sources:

• New York Post