(NYT) – Doctors said the arrival of Emily, Harriet, Catherine and Alexa, who were conceived naturally and split from one fertilized egg, is an extremely rare event.

An Australian woman gave birth last week to naturally conceived identical quadruplet girls who shared one placenta after splitting from one fertilized egg, in what doctors described as an extremely rare event.

The woman, Jenitar Sau Na’amoana, 34, and her husband Jortham, have four children aged from 1 to 10, and had not planned on having any more, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where she gave birth, said in a statement on Monday. They were surprised to find they had naturally conceived the quadruplets, the hospital said. And the surprises kept coming. (Read More)