Woman births quintuplets after 12 years of trying for a child

An Ethiopian woman has given birth to quintuplets after spending 12 years trying for a baby. 

Bedriya Adem, 35, delivered four boys and a girl via cesarean section on Tuesday, May 5, at Hiwot Fana Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia, according to the BBC.  

The five newborns, all of whom were in “full health” according to the hospital, have been named Naif, Ammar, Munzir, Nazira and Ansar.  
 

“I cannot express my happiness in words,” Adem, who was initially told that she was pregnant with four babies, told the outlet. 

“I prayed for just one child, and Allah gave me five,” she added. 

The first time mother added that she and her husband were “overjoyed” to be “blessed with five children at once.” 
 

The BBC stated that the chance of conceiving quintuplets naturally is around 1 in 55 million.  

Dr Mohamed Nur Abdulahi, the hospital’s medical director, said that Adem had conceived naturally without using in vitro fertilization (IVF). 

He added the new mother and her babies, who weigh between 2.8 lbs. and 3 lbs., were still being cared for in the hospital but had a high chance of survival.  

Adem told the BBC that she had spent “12 years in pain” and “praying constantly” to have children of her own. Her husband has a child from a previous marriage who lives with them.