An Australian woman gave birth to four identical baby girls

Brisbane — A 34-year-old mother of four has given birth to identical quadruplet girls in Australia after a natural conception — a birth doctors are calling an extremely rare medical event.

The babies were delivered at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Queensland last week to Janitar Saunamoana and her husband Jortham.

A 1 in 15 Million Conception

According to obstetrician Dr. Alexa Bendall, who led the care team, the pregnancy occurred naturally when a single fertilized egg split into four embryos.

“This is amazing. The babies were conceived naturally and split from one fertilized egg into four embryos,” Dr. Bendall said in a hospital interview.

“We estimate the odds of conceiving naturally like this are about 1 in 15 million. We don’t believe this has happened before in Australia.”

Experts note that the overall chance of naturally having quadruplets is about 1 in 700,000. Most quadruplet births worldwide occur with the help of fertility treatment.

High-Risk Pregnancy, Healthy Outcome

Because all four babies shared one placenta, the pregnancy carried a high risk of complications such as preterm birth and other fetal risks.

Saunamoana was monitored by a large medical team from the 10th week of pregnancy and was admitted for close observation at 25 weeks.

She delivered the girls via C-section on July 14 at 28 weeks and 4 days. 

“It’s amazing that four beautiful, healthy babies were born at 28 weeks and 4 days,” Dr. Bendall said. “The mother had some bleeding, but not excessive for a quadruplet birth, and she is doing well.”

All four newborns — Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa — are currently stable in the neonatal intensive care unit. The fourth baby was named Alexa as a tribute to Dr. Bendall.

“It’s an amazing tribute,” Dr. Bendall said. “From an academic perspective, this is truly exciting. But from a human perspective, to be part of this family’s journey and welcome four lovely babies and a healthy mom is incredibly precious.”

The couple said they had not planned to have more children and were surprised to learn they were expecting four.

Why It’s So Rare

Doctors explain that natural identical multiples happen when one embryo splits. The more splits, the rarer it becomes. Quadruplets from a single egg are among the rarest forms of multiple births.