In a rare and extraordinary occurrence, a 32-year-old woman from Alabama, USA, with a unique double uterus has given birth to two babies in the span of two days. Kelsey Hatcher delivered her first daughter on Tuesday and welcomed a second on Wednesday, following what medical experts describe as a “one in a million” pregnancy that entailed a total of 20 hours in labor.
The exceptional births took place at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital, where Ms. Hatcher expressed her gratitude to the medical team, hailing them as “incredible.” Sharing the news of the arrival of her “miracle babies” on social media, Ms. Hatcher revealed that the fraternal twins, with the rare distinction of having separate birthdays, were now home, ready to “enjoy the holidays,” despite initially anticipating a Christmas due date.
Ms. Hatcher, who learned at the age of 17 that she had a double uterus, a condition known as uterus didelphys, affecting only 0.3% of women, faced exceedingly slim odds of a dicavitary pregnancy – becoming pregnant in both uteri – at “one in a million,” according to UAB.
While such cases are exceptionally rare worldwide, Ms. Hatcher, who had previously experienced three healthy pregnancies, was unaware of her unique condition until a routine ultrasound during this pregnancy revealed the presence of a baby in her second uterus.
Documenting her extraordinary journey on Instagram, Ms. Hatcher shared her amazement at reaching 38 weeks, asking, “What the heck?! HOW have we made it this far?!”
The UAB, describing the pregnancy as routine, emphasized that each baby had enjoyed “extra space to grow and develop” due to having a womb to itself, a stark contrast to typical twin pregnancies.
The labor, induced at 39 weeks, required double the monitoring and staffing at the hospital. The unique case presented challenges as the UAB staff had limited evidence or data to rely on, necessitating the application of their knowledge of typical pregnancies.
Roxi, the first baby, was born vaginally at about 19:45 local time on December 19, while Rebel, the second, was delivered by C-section more than 10 hours later. Professor Richard Davis, involved in the delivery, emphasized that despite the distinct circumstances, the girls could be considered fraternal twins, each developing from a separate egg fertilized by a separate sperm.
“At the end of the day, it was two babies in one belly at the same time,” Prof. Davis remarked. “They just had different apartments.”
