Against staggering 1-in-15-million odds, a Brisbane mother has welcomed four naturally conceived identical quadruplet girls, expanding her family from six members to 10 in a single moment that has stunned medical teams.
Thirty-four-year-old Jenitar Na-amoana and her husband Jortham are now the parents of newborns Emily, Harriet, Alexa, and Catherine, who were delivered via C-section on July 14 at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Prior to the quadruplets’ arrival, the couple already had four children ranging in age from 1 to 10 years old.
Medical professionals overseeing the high-risk pregnancy say this birth is an extremely rare event. Unlike many multiple births that rely on fertility assistance, the Na-amoana quadruplets are monozygotic: they developed from a single fertilized egg that split into four identical embryos during early embryonic development. Even more unusually, all four fetuses shared the same placenta — a combination that leading obstetric staff describe as unheard of in clinical practice.
Dr. Alexa Bendall, the lead specialist caring for Jenitar throughout her pregnancy and the namesake for quadruplet Alexa, called the outcome a remarkable miracle. “Jenitar has taken everything in her stride from day one – we have never seen a spontaneously conceived pregnancy of this type with quads, and she has somehow dodged every complication and risk for both herself and her babies to be here today, with four gorgeous newborn girls,” Bendall shared. The pregnancy reached 28 weeks and four days, a milestone the medical team had viewed as a major success. “We always said that if we could get her to 28 weeks, we would be doing well, so we are happy she could make it to this gestation,” Bendall added.
All four newborns are currently receiving specialist care in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where they will remain to grow and develop to full-term size. Medical updates confirm the quadruplets are currently in stable condition as they continue to gain strength.
As the family adjusts to their sudden expansion from six to 10 members, they have launched a public GoFundMe campaign to cover the unexpected costs of caring for four newborns at once. In a statement shared on the fundraising page, Jenitar noted that while the couple is overflowing with gratitude for their four miracles, the practical challenges of their new life are overwhelming. “Our precious miracles have arrived safely, and while our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, the reality of caring for four newborn babies at once has brought challenges we never could have imagined,” she wrote. The family is seeking support to purchase a larger 10- to 12-seat van, acquire essential baby gear, and cover ongoing medical costs, travel expenses, and daily living needs that come with raising four additional children.