After 12 years of trying for a baby, Bedriya Adem of Ethiopia's Harari Regional state has given birth to rare quintuplets, proving that the universe sometimes responds to persistent requests with a dramatic plot twist.
The 35-year-old delivered four boys and one girl at the Hiwot Fana Specialised Hospital, all in "full health," according to the hospital. The babies weigh between 1.3 and 1.4kg (3lb), which hospital medical director Dr Mohammed Nur Abdulahi notes gives them a high chance of survival and healthy growth - because anything over a kilogram is apparently the golden ticket in newborn weight lotteries.
Bedriya conceived naturally, without IVF, which the hospital doesn't offer anyway. The chance of naturally conceiving quintuplets is roughly one in 55 million, making this less likely than getting struck by lightning while winning the lottery.
"I prayed for just one child, and Allah gave me five," Bedriya told the BBC, recalling how she was "filled with depression and pain" during her long wait. She was initially told she was carrying four babies, but nature had one more surprise up its sleeve. Surprise!
The birth was via Caesarean on Tuesday evening. Bedriya received regular medical care during pregnancy, which included the news that she had more than one baby - a mild understatement.
Bedriya, a subsistence farmer, now faces the daunting prospect of providing for a family of seven, but she believes Allah will provide through community and government support. Her husband, who already had a child from another marriage, apparently tried to reassure her that one child was enough, but village gossip had other plans.
"What I endured in the past feels like a distant dream, one I do not even want to recall," she said. The five blessings have been named Naif, Ammar, Munzir, Nazira, and Ansar.
For now, the mother and babies remain under medical care, presumably working on a system to keep track of who has been fed, changed, and burped.