One in 15 million pregnancies. Rare identical quadruplets born in Australia
In Australia, a woman gave birth to rare identical quadruplets conceived naturally. The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital called such a pregnancy "extremely risky," writes the BBC.
On July 14, at 28 weeks and four days of gestation, four girls were born via C-section. They are monozygotic quadruplets — meaning they developed from a single fertilized egg that split into four embryos.
The hospital reported that for 34-year-old Jenitor Naamoana and her husband Jortam, who already had four children, the news that they were expecting quadruplets came as a "huge surprise."
Dr. Alexa Bendall, who monitored the pregnancy from the very beginning, noted that identical quadruplets occur in approximately one in 15 million pregnancies. According to her, the fact that all four fetuses shared a common placenta is an unprecedented case.
Obstetrician-gynecologist Bendall explained that such a pregnancy is associated with very high risks. At 25 weeks, the woman was hospitalized for constant monitoring of her condition.
"We always said that if we could extend the pregnancy to 28 weeks, that would already be a great success," the doctor said.
"Therefore, the birth of four wonderful and healthy girls at 28 weeks is incredible. We are very happy to be part of this story," she added.
"Jenitor bravely overcame all challenges from day one... She miraculously managed to avoid all complications and risks - both for herself and for her children," Bendall noted.
The newborn girls were named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and also Alexa — in honor of Dr. Alexa Bendall. She called it a great honor.
The girls will remain in the neonatal intensive care unit until they reach full-term gestation. According to Bendall, they are now "doing extremely well."
The family's other children range from one to ten years old. The mother recently launched an online fundraiser to purchase at least a ten-seater car.
The family has already managed to raise 37,000 Australian dollars (about 24,000 US dollars).
"Our four precious miracles have happily arrived, 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," Jenitor wrote on the fundraising page.
Naturally conceived quadruplets are an extremely rare phenomenon. According to medical estimates, the probability of such a pregnancy is approximately one case per 700,000 births.
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