Ethiopian woman gives birth to quintuplets after 12 years of waiting

A woman in Ethiopia’s Harari Regional State has given birth to rare quintuplets after spending 12 years trying to have a child.

Bedriya Adem, 35, delivered four boys and a girl at Hiwot Fana Specialised Hospital through a Caesarean section on Tuesday evening.

Doctors at the hospital said both the mother and the babies are in good health. The newborns weighed between 1.3kg and 1.4kg at birth.

“The babies are in full health and remain under medical care together with their mother,” the hospital’s medical director, Dr Mohammed Nur Abdulahi, told the BBC on Friday.

He added that the pregnancy occurred naturally without the use of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), making the birth even more unusual.

“The chance of conceiving quintuplets naturally is extremely rare,” he said.

Bedriya described the birth of her five children as an answered prayer after years of emotional pain and disappointment.

“I cannot express my happiness in words,” she said. “I prayed for just one child, and Allah gave me five.”

The first-time mother said she endured years of social pressure and emotional suffering because she had not been able to conceive.

“I spent 12 years in pain, hiding myself, and praying constantly for children — at last, Allah heard me,” she said.

Bedriya revealed that doctors initially told her she was carrying four babies, but a fifth child was discovered during delivery.

“When I gave birth, there was one more,” she said.

She also spoke about the emotional support she received from her husband during the difficult years.

“He used to tell me that having his other child was enough and that I should not worry, but deep inside I was suffering psychologically and emotionally,” she said.

The quintuplets, named Naif, Ammar, Munzir, Nazira, and Ansar, are now being monitored at the hospital as the family prepares for life with five newborns.

Although Bedriya said she is worried about providing for the children as a subsistence farmer, she remains hopeful.

“I believe Allah will provide, through the support of my community and the government,” she said.