First-time mom Bedriya Adem said she and her husband were "blessed with five children at once"
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Bedriya Adem, 35, gave birth to naturally conceived quintuplets in Ethiopia after 12 years of trying for a baby
- The four boys and one girl were born healthy via cesarean section and weighed between 2.8 lbs. and 3 lbs.
- Adem was initially told that she was pregnant with four babies, but gave birth to a fifth child
An “overjoyed” woman has given birth to rare quintuplets after spending 12 years trying for a baby.
Bedriya Adem, 35, delivered four boys and a girl via cesarean section on Tuesday, May 5, at Hiwot Fana Specialized Hospital in Ethiopia, according to the BBC.
The five newborns, all of whom were in “full health” according to the hospital, have been named Naif, Ammar, Munzir, Nazira and Ansar.
"I cannot express my happiness in words," Adem, who was initially told that she was pregnant with four babies, told the outlet. "I prayed for just one child, and Allah gave me five," she added.
The first time mother added that she and her husband were “overjoyed” to be "blessed with five children at once."
Ethiopian woman's joy at rare quintuplets after 12 years trying for a baby https://t.co/3pXGbvVtKw
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) May 8, 2026
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The BBC stated that the chance of conceiving quintuplets naturally is around 1 in 55 million.
Dr Mohamed Nur Abdulahi, the hospital's medical director, said that Adem had conceived naturally without using in vitro fertilization (IVF).
He added the new mother and her babies, who weigh between 2.8 lbs. and 3 lbs., were still being cared for in the hospital but had a high chance of survival.
Adem told the BBC that she had spent “12 years in pain” and “praying constantly” to have children of her own. Her husband has a child from a previous marriage who lives with them.
The births follow the arrival of two sets of quadruplets.
On April 23 — the same day as her older daughter's 6th birthday — South African mother Nomcebo Likhuleni, 30, gave birth to two boys and two girls at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria.
"When I went for my first appointment, the doctors didn't believe I was three months pregnant; they thought I was seven months," she told local outlet Times Live.
"I honestly don't know how I'm going to survive with five children. I will need a lot of help raising them," she added. "But I believe God will not give me something beyond my strength. However, I would be very grateful for any support."
Credit: Eric LAFFORGUE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty
The day before, on Wednesday, April 22, Kenyan mother Rachael Simba, 28, also welcomed quadruplets — despite initially being told she was expecting triplets.
Local outlet The Citizen reported that the four babies were born prematurely via cesarean section at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC).
KCMC obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Gedion Edward, told The Citizen that the babies were born in the NICU with different developmental conditions.
Two baby girls shared a single sac and weighed 2.2 lbs. at birth, while a baby boy in a separate sac weighed 3.5 lbs., and a third baby girl in another sac weighed 2.8 lbs.
Simba added that the chance of a woman successfully carrying quadruplets is estimated at 1 in 6,000.
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