Ethiopian woman celebrates: A 35-year-old Ethiopian woman has given birth to rare quintuplets in the Harari Regional state after 12 years of trying for a child. Bedriya Adem and her husband expressed that they were “overjoyed” to be “blessed with five children at once.”
Details of the birth and health of the babies
Bedriya delivered four boys and one girl at the Hiwot Fana Specialised Hospital. All five babies are reported to be in full health. The babies weighed between 1.3 and 1.4 kilograms (approximately 3 pounds) each. According to the hospital’s medical director, Dr Mohammed Nur Abdulahi, newborns weighing more than one kilogram have a high chance of survival and healthy growth.
The birth was performed by Caesarean section. Bedriya received regular medical care throughout her pregnancy and was informed that she was carrying multiple babies. The hospital confirmed that she conceived naturally, without the use of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), which they do not offer. The chance of conceiving quintuplets naturally is about one in 55 million.
Bedriya Adem’s experience and future hopes
Bedriya shared that she had initially been told she was pregnant with four babies, but at birth, there was one more. She said, “I prayed for just one child, and Allah gave me five,” reflecting on her long wait and emotional journey.
Before this birth, Bedriya endured 12 years of pain and social pressure due to her inability to conceive. She described feeling depression and emotional suffering as the entire village questioned her. Her husband already had a child from another marriage, who lived with them, and he had told her that having that child was enough. Despite this, she struggled psychologically and emotionally during those years.
Bedriya is a subsistence farmer and expressed uncertainty about how she will provide for her enlarged family. However, she remains hopeful, saying, “I believe Allah will provide, through the support of my community and the government.”
The five babies have been named Naif, Ammar, Munzir, Nazira, and Ansar. Both mother and babies remain under medical care at the hospital.