Identical Quadruplets Born in Veldhoven Against One-in-Eleven-Million Odds

It happened on Tuesday at the Maxima Medical Center in Veldhoven: the birth of identical quadruplets, an event with odds of only one in eleven million. Four baby boys named Adam, Amir, Hassan, and Hussein were born naturally at just over 29 weeks.

Quadruplets are born roughly once every five years in the Netherlands. Identical quadruplets are far rarer. The parents, a Gambian family who moved to the Netherlands just over a year ago, already have a daughter and now have five children total.

The delivery required careful coordination: each of the four babies had its own medical team, and the operating room had to be adapted since it was designed for a maximum of three births. The birth went smoothly thanks to extensive preparation. For the father, a highlight was cutting the umbilical cords himself, which was not allowed at the Italian hospital where his daughter was born.

A child psychologist notes that raising multiples presents unique challenges. The children form a tight unit within the family. "They already knew each other's breathing before birth," she said. "If one of triplets stays home sick, the other two are out of sorts too. They don't feel complete." The biggest challenge for parents is building an individual bond with each child while managing the relentless logistics of feeding and clothing.