Current:Home > MarketsAlabama woman pregnant with 2 babies in 2 uteruses gives birth ahead of Christmas -ValueCore
Alabama woman pregnant with 2 babies in 2 uteruses gives birth ahead of Christmas
View
Date:2025-04-18 18:10:00
In what some may call a Christmas miracle, an Alabama woman born with two uteruses has given birth to twin girls on different days.
Kelsey Hatcher learned of her condition, known as uterus didelphys when she was 17 years old, but it would be another 15 years before it resulted in her one-in-a-million pregnancy. Uterus didelphys is so rare it occurs in less than 1% of all women.
The 32-year-old and her husband, Caleb Hatcher, live in Dora, Alabama, outside of Birmingham. The couple welcomed twin girls 10 hours apart at The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, according to a press release.
Double the labor
For Hatcher this rarity "meant double the uterus, double the labor, double the babies and double the birthdays," the release said.
'One in a million':Alabama woman pregnant with 2 babies in 2 uteruses due on Christmas
"Our miracle babies were born! They decided they were rare enough statistically that they should just go ahead and have their own birthdays too. Roxi Layla was born Tuesday night 12/19 at 7:49pm and was joined by her sister, Rebel Laken, Wednesday morning 12/20 at 6:09am," Hatcher announced in an Instagram post.
In all, Hatcher spent 20 hours in labor.
Embedded content: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1LfWa4tPwO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Hatcher is already a mother to three, and she was not expecting to have additional children until she learned she was pregnant in May.
"There’s only one baby in there, right?" Hatcher joked with her doctor at her first ultrasound at eight weeks.
"As soon as she moved the ultrasound wand across my belly, I said, 'Oh my gosh, there’s another one. Oh my gosh.' She said, 'Yes! There is,'" Hatcher told "TODAY." "I was just in complete shock and think for the first, I don’t know, two to three weeks, my husband and I just laughed."
A one-in-a-million pregnancy
The pregnancy is "one in a million," Dr. Richard Davis, a physician at the hospital where Hatcher delivered her children, told WVTM-TV in Alabama.
Hatcher's pregnancy is so uncommon, that "some OB-GYNs go their whole careers without seeing anything like this," Dr. Shweta Patel, Hatcher's OB-GYN, previously told the outlet, calling her circumstances "very, very rare."
Hatcher's pregnancy is a first for the team at the hospital. They're relying on "baseline teaching and baseline knowledge," Patel told "Good Morning America."
While twin pregnancies aren't rare, Hatcher's pregnancy and birth are uncommon because she ovulated separately, with each egg traveling down each side of the uterus and the sperm traveling up each uterus, and fertilization occurring in both.
"Because my cycles have always worked together as one, I assumed as I ovulated on one side ... and there would be no chance of having a baby in the opposite uterus," Hatcher previously told USA TODAY. "I never would have thought I would ovulate from both at the same time."
veryGood! (231)
Related
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- How Gotham Knights Differs From DC Comics' Titans and Doom Patrol
- A cyberattack in Albuquerque forces schools to cancel classes
- FBI director says the threat from China is 'more brazen' than ever before
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Ukrainian girls' math team wins top European spot during olympiad
- Amazon announces progress after an outage disrupted sites across the internet
- Thousands of Americans still trying to escape Sudan after embassy staff evacuated
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Fire in Beijing hospital kills at least 21, forces dozens to escape from windows
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Cheryl Burke Reveals Her Thoughts on Dating Again After Matthew Lawrence Split
- Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes to be sentenced on Sept. 26
- RHONJ's Melissa Gorga Accuses Luis Ruelas of Manipulating Teresa Giudice
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Starting in 2024, U.S. students will take the SAT entirely online
- Without Inventor James West, This Interview Might Not Have Been Possible
- Ulta 24-Hour Flash Sale: Take 50% Off Murad, Stila, Erborian, Lorac, and More
Recommendation
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
Man with apparent cartel links shot and killed at a Starbucks in Mexico City
See Florence Pugh, Vanessa Hudgens and More Stars' Must-See Outfit Changes for Oscars 2023 After-Parties
Savannah Chrisley Reflects on Parents Todd and Julie’s Reactions to Guilty Verdict
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Looking good in the metaverse. Fashion brands bet on digital clothing
Why Curly Girls Everywhere Love Tracee Ellis Ross' Pattern Hair Care
Matthew Lawrence Clarifies His Comments About Starting a Family With TLC’s Chilli