A 34-year-old Australian woman has delivered four identical girls through caesarean section, marking an exceptionally uncommon medical occurrence. The quadruplets were born on 14 July at 28 weeks and four days of gestation at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Medical professionals described the pregnancy as presenting extreme risk factors throughout its duration.
The four girls are monozygotic quadruplets, originating from a single fertilized egg that divided into four separate embryos. According to Dr. Alexa Bendall, a maternal fetal medicine specialist who managed the case, identical quadruplets occur in approximately one in every 15 million pregnancies. The particular situation of these four sharing the same placenta was characterized by the medical team as virtually unprecedented. Naturally conceived quadruplets more broadly are estimated to occur in roughly one in 700,000 births.
Given the high-risk nature of the pregnancy, the mother was admitted to the hospital as an inpatient at 25 weeks of gestation for continuous monitoring. Medical staff noted that reaching 28 weeks would represent a significant achievement. The delivery of all four infants in healthy condition at 28 weeks and four days exceeded expectations, according to the attending medical team. The newborns have been named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa, with the latter name honoring Dr. Bendall.
The family already has four children ranging in age from one to 10 years old. The parents have initiated an online fundraising campaign to purchase a vehicle with seating capacity for at least 10 occupants, which has generated over A$37,000 in contributions. The four newborn girls remain in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit while they continue developing to full term and are reported to be progressing well.