A woman in Ethiopia's Harari Regional state has given birth to rare quintuplets. This happened after she tried to have a baby for 12 years.
Bedriya Adem, 35, and her husband are "overjoyed." She said they were "blessed with five children at once."
A Rare Natural Conception
Bedriya delivered four boys and one girl. All of them are healthy. The birth took place at Hiwot Fana Specialised Hospital.
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News Detox"I cannot express my happiness in words," Bedriya told the BBC. She shared that she felt "filled with depression and pain" before her prayers were answered.
Dr. Mohammed Nur Abdulahi, the hospital's medical director, said the mother and babies are still receiving care. The babies each weighed between 1.3 and 1.4 kg (about 3 lb). Newborns weighing over a kilogram have a good chance of survival and healthy growth.
Dr. Mohammed noted that Bedriya conceived naturally. The hospital does not offer in vitro fertilisation (IVF). IVF can increase the chance of multiple births. The chance of naturally conceiving quintuplets is about one in 55 million.
Overcoming a Long Wait
The birth happened by Caesarean section on a Tuesday evening. Bedriya had regular medical care during her pregnancy. She knew she was expecting more than one baby.
Bedriya was initially told she was pregnant with four babies. She was surprised when a fifth baby arrived. "I prayed for just one child, and Allah gave me five," she said.
Bedriya is a first-time mother. Her husband has another child from a previous marriage who lives with them. She shared her past struggles, saying, "He used to tell me that having [the other child] was enough and that I should not worry, but deep inside I was suffering." She felt psychological and emotional pain because people in her village questioned her inability to have children.
"What I endured in the past feels like a distant dream," she added. "I spent 12 years in pain, hiding myself, and praying constantly for children - at last, Allah heard me."
Bedriya is a subsistence farmer. She is unsure how she will provide for her larger family. However, she believes "Allah will provide, through the support of my community and the government."
The five babies have been named Naif, Ammar, Munzir, Nazira, and Ansar.
