Imagine looking forward to expanding your family, and when expecting a child, you end up getting two for the price of one. We’re not talking about having twins, but about two separate pregnancies taking place at the same time, in the same body.
Kelsey Hatcher has a rare condition where she lives with a double uterus, expecting a child in each of the organs.
The expecting mom from Alabama, USA, was in fact born with two functional uteri that each have their own cervix.
Kelsey’s obstetrician, Dr. Shweta Patel, told NBC affiliate WVTM the pregnancy was "very, very rare", adding: "Some obstetrician-gynecologists go their whole careers without seeing anything like this."
Kelsey Hatcher is expecting two girls, pregnant in two sets of uterus, a rare condition she was born with
Image credits: doubleuhatchlings
Image credits: doubleuhatchlings
As a result of this uncommon condition, the medically phenomenal mom’s pregnancy is considered to be high-risk.
Kelsey surprised her husband, Caleb, with the amazing news that she was not only pregnant but expecting babies in both organs
Image credits: doubleuhatchlings
Image credits: doubleuhatchlings
Dr. Richard Davis, a specialist in high-risk pregnancies at the University of Alabama, told the news outlet: "A double cervix or double uterus is way under 1%, maybe three per 1,000 women might have that.
"And then the probability of you having a twin in each horn is really crazy."
Kelsey, who learned of her condition when she was 17, was "blown away" by the news
Image credits: doubleuhatchlings
Upon discovering her pregnancy last spring, followed by a first ultrasound, Kelsey shared the amazing news that she was not only pregnant but expecting babies in both organs, with her husband Caleb.
The 32-year-old recalled telling him: "I said, 'Well, there's two of them in there.' And he said, 'You're lying.' I said, 'No, I'm not.''
"A double cervix or double uterus is way under 1%, maybe three per 1,000 women might have that," a doctor said
Image credits: doubleuhatchlings
Kelsey has previously opened up about her pregnancy on her Instagram account "doubleuhatchlings," where she said she was told the odds of her condition were 1 in 50 million, with the last widely known case reportedly occurring in Bangladesh in 2019 when Arifa Sultana, then 20, gave birth to healthy twins 26 days apart.
The pair are already parents to three children but are now waiting to welcome two new daughters.
When she was younger, the mother of three was told that, if she were able to conceive, she'd "probably have preterm labors or a miscarriage"
Image credits: WVTM 13 News
The anticipated girls are reportedly developing normally, with the most difficult factor of Kelsey’s pregnancies being centered around the timing of the births, which could happen at the same time or separately.
Richard explained that when Kelsey goes into labor, the medical team “will have to monitor each uterus and see which one's contracting, and if they're doing sort of almost the same or they're different".
Caleb and Kelsey have said that this would be their last pregnancy
Image credits: WVTM 13 News
The future mum-of-five's uteri could reportedly start contracting at different times, which would mean that the couple’s daughters could be born apart, broken up by hours, days, or even weeks.
As a result of the girls each growing in their own uterus with their own placenta, the specialists still speculate whether the babies will be twins or siblings.
Shweta explained: "I think medically, this is such a rare thing that we don't have a better way of describing it besides still calling them twins."
Their daughters cold be born days or weeks apart, doctors said
Image credits: WVTM 13 News
Image credits: WVTM 13 News
According to the Mayo Clinic, a double uterus is an infrequent condition that is "present at birth" in some women, and happens when the two small tubes that typically grow and join together to form the uterus as the fetus grows instead "don't join completely" and "each one develops into a separate organ."
Though the uteri can sometimes share a cervix - the opening into the vagina - "in other cases, each uterus has its own cervix."
You can watch Kelsey's interview below:
On Instagram, Kelsey opened up: "I’ve always been told that if I was able to conceive, I would probably have preterm labors or miscarriage!
“Well, I’m 3 babies in, all full term, and 2 of the 3 were 41-weekers!
“Thanks to God, I’ve surpassed all odds there."
In the meantime, Caleb and Kelsey have now asserted that this would be their last pregnancy.
The expecting mom said: "We're grateful for the blessings for sure, but this will definitely be the end.”
Kelsey’s due date is reportedly expected for Christmas Day, when an impressive team of medical experts will accompany her as she goes into labor.
Some people opened up about being born with the same condition
