When you want to see your dreams become reality, you sometimes have to weigh your words carefully. Because Mother Nature can be in a generous mood, and in the face of her goodness you could quickly find yourself overwhelmed. This woman in Alabama experienced just that! Her wish for a baby came true with not one, but two babies! What's more surprising is that they're not twins at all.
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Two babies at once
Kelsey Hatcher, a 32-year-old American woman, is expecting two babies. While there's nothing supernatural about the news so far, the fact that they're not twins is a little disconcerting. The reason? The young woman has two uteruses and two uterine cavities, each housing a fertilized egg, following a double ovulation. This condition, known as 'didelphic uterus', affects around 0.3% of the population. Kelsey Hatcher was diagnosed at the age of 17. If this uterine malformation is rare, what is even rarer is to become 'double pregnant'.
According to Richard Davis, obstetrician-gynecologist at the Women & Infants Center of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the probability was 1 in 50 million. Kelsey Hatcher, who has already carried three uncomplicated pregnancies to term, each time with a baby, didn't think it could have happened to her. It was during the 8th-week ultrasound that she realized it.
I had to laugh nervously for a good 30 minutes, I just couldn't believe it.
Read more:This woman 'got pregnant whilst being pregnant'
Delivery under control
This rare uterine malformation can go unnoticed for years. Some women are asymptomatic, while others may suffer from dysmenorrhea (severe pelvic pain). The condition can also lead to problems with fertility and gestation, increasing the risk of miscarriage.
Due to the rather exceptional situation, Kelsey Hatcher is being closely monitored. And for the doctors, too, it's a big first! As far as the birth is concerned, several scenarios are possible. It could be delayed. Also, one of the babies could be born vaginally, while the other would be born by Caesarean section. For the moment, nothing has been decided. But for the doctors, as for the mother-to-be, the only objective is to ensure the safety of the future babies.
Read more:Superfetation: A rare phenomenon which gets you pregnant while you are pregnant
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
Source used:
ABS CBN News: US woman with rare double uterus expecting babies in both