Ethiopian woman gives birth to quintuplets after 12 years of waiting

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

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

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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.

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“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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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“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.

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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.

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

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

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