Brisbane Mom Delivers Australia's First Identical Quads

Jenitar Na'amoana calls her four newest daughters her "miracle babies," and the numbers prove her right.

The Brisbane mom delivered Emily, Harriet, Alexa, and Catherine on July 14 at Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. The naturally conceived girls are Australia's first known case of identical quadruplets, a phenomenon estimated to occur in just one in 15 million pregnancies.

The odds get even more remarkable. All four girls shared a single placenta, a condition called monochorionic that some experts believe could be rarer than one in 15 million. Dr. Alexa Bendall, the maternal foetal medicine specialist caring for the family, admitted to being "a little nervous" given the significant risks involved.

"Not only are there four babies with one mum, but also four babies with one placenta," Dr. Bendall explained. "Somehow this beautiful little family managed to dodge all of those and end up with four healthy beautiful little girls."

The babies arrived at 28 weeks and four days by caesarean section. While premature, they avoided the growth restrictions and unbalanced blood flow complications that often affect babies sharing a placenta.

Jenitar and husband Jortham now have eight children total. The quadruplets join big siblings Denessa, 10, Karl, 8, Selina, 3, and Clohi, 1. Three days after giving birth, Jenitar was discharged while the quads remain in hospital care, growing stronger each day.

"Every day our miracle babies grow strong is another answered prayer," Jenitar shared on social media, posting a photo of a tiny hand gripping her finger.

Sunny's Take

Cathy Scott from the Multiple Births Association Brisbane Northside has stepped in to support the family through the logistics of this beautiful chaos. The reality includes daily hospital visits for breast milk delivery, caring for four children at home, and the challenge of finding a vehicle with six harness points for when the babies come home.

"It's really important to remember that there are the four other children as well that need the support," Scott said. "It's not just about the multiples. It's about the family as a whole."

The family's surprise pregnancy has become a medical marvel, arriving 76 years after Australia's first surviving quadruplets were born in 1950. But unlike those earlier quads, the Na'amoana girls are completely identical, sharing not just a birthday but the exact same genetic makeup.

Four miracle babies are growing stronger while their family of ten prepares to bring them home.