It’s two for the price of one shipping.
Kelsey Hatcher arrived at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital last week for her fourth scheduled induction, not uncommon for some expectant mothers.
But this labor and delivery will be one for the record books.
Despite having had three previous pregnancies without complications, this time was different. Hatcher, 32, has the rare condition of having multiple wombs – and each contains a developing baby.
After a marathon 20-hour combined labor, Hatcher gave birth to two baby girls within 10 hours: one on Dec. 19 and the other on Dec. 20, according to the University of Alabama website.
“Never in our wildest dreams could we have planned a pregnancy and birth like this; but bringing our two healthy baby girls into this world safely was always the goal, and UAB helped us achieve that,” Hatcher said.
Roxi and Rebel Hatcher were born 10 hours apart – and each from one of their mother’s two wombs. Andrea Mabry/UAB Kelsey Hatcher, 32, and her husband, Caleb, were shocked in May when they found out Kelsey was carrying a baby in each of her wombs. Kelsey Hatcher/doubleuhatcher/AFP via Getty Images
Diagnosed with uterine didelphys, a rare congenital anomaly that affects 0.3 percent of women, Hatcher learned of her condition when she was just 17 years old.
Hatcher noticed bleeding a few weeks into her fourth pregnancy and got an emergency ultrasound that revealed two babies, one in each uterus.
This phenomenon is officially known as dicavitary twin pregnancy and it occurs in one in a million cases.
Hatcher and her husband welcomed baby girls Roxi and Rebel who were born 10 hours apart on Dec. 19. University of Alabama Birmingham/AFP via Getty Images
Hatcher recalled her and her husband Caleb’s surprise when the UAB ultrasound technician showed them their scans.
“As soon as he moved the wand to the other uterus, I gasped,” Hatcher recalled. “Of course, there’s another baby. We just can’t believe it.”
Kelsey Hatcher holds her daughter Roxi while her husband Caleb Hatcher hugs baby Rebel. University of Alabama at Birmingham/AFP via Getty Images
With so few cases to study, doctors weren’t sure of the best way to deliver the baby but eventually agreed to give Hatcher the vaginal delivery she wanted.
She was induced at 39 weeks, with a medical team assigned to both babies. Roxi was successfully delivered vaginally. The second baby, Rebel, required a caesarean section.
Kelsey Hatcher holds her twins Roxi Layla (L) and Rebel Laken (R). University of Alabama Birmingham/AFP via Getty Images Rebel, left, and Roxi, right. through UAB
Hatcher’s medical team eventually categorized the babies as fraternal twins, as they came from the fertilization of two eggs during the same ovulation cycle.
“I think it’s safe to call the girls fraternal twins,” says Richard O. Davis, MD, a professor in the UAB Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine who managed Kelsey’s pregnancy along with her obstetrician, Shweta Patel, MD.
“At the end of the day, it’s two babies in one stomach at the same time. They just have different apartments.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
