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A woman with two uteruses gave birth to healthy twins after 2 contractions during a 20-hour labor.
Kelsey Hatcher, 32, spent more than two days giving birth to her millionth child at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) hospital, meaning the twins' birthdays were separate.
Roxi was born at 7:45 p.m. on December 19 and Rebel at 6:10 p.m. the next morning.
"We never dreamed of having a pregnancy and birth like this," Kelsey said. "But bringing our two healthy baby girls into the world safely has always been our goal, and UAB has helped us achieve that goal.
Still, it seems fitting that they have two birthdays. They all have their own "houses" and now all have their own unique birth stories.
At the age of 17, Kelsey discovered that he had a rare congenital disorder, the twin uterus, about 03% of women suffer from this disease. She has two uteruses, each with its own ovaries, fallopian tubes, and cervix.
This occurs when the two "horns" of the uterus are not joined together when they were formed before birth, forming two separate uterus.
Kelsey already has three children, each of whom is in her right womb. She underwent an ultrasound after early bleeding and found the rare twins – known as a lifetime pregnancy.
Kelsey said, "I gasped as she moved her wand to the other womb. Sure enough, another child was born. We couldn't believe it.
She has been documenting this journey on her instagram@doubleuhatchings and has been closely monitored by the UAB team.
Dr. Shweta Patel, Kelsey's obstetrician and assistant professor at UAB, said, "I've taken care of her third pregnancy and know she has a double uterus, but it was just a baby — it's a medical surprise to have two babies in both wombs." ”。
I knew I needed more expertise. Fortunately, I was able to connect with my UAB maternal and fetal medicine colleagues, who specialize in high-risk obstetric cases and unique pregnancies. ”
Thankfully, with the exception of a few additional tests, Kelsey's pregnancy went well.
In a typical twin pregnancy, the twins share a uterus, which restricts everyone's space and makes the likelihood of premature or premature birth high," said Professor Richard O D**is, who co-manages Kelsey's pregnancy, for Kelsey's babies, each of whom has their own uterus, sac, placenta and umbilical cord, which gives them extra room to grow and develop. ”
When it was time to give birth, Kelsey hoped that both children would give birth naturally. She was induced at 39 weeks and labor began to go smoothly.
"When my contractions started, they weren't together all the time, but they contracted each other for a few seconds," Kelsey said. "I feel like we're shrinking in different areas. I feel that there is one that is consistent with the monitor, which starts from the left and moves to the right. ”
A few hours after delivery, Roxi, who grew in his right uterus, was born, weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces.
"When the first child was born, everyone in the room cheered, but there was one more child," Dr. Patel said. "Kelsey basically gives birth in the left uterus while doing the postpartum process on the right side. She had contractions with baby B (rebel) while breastfeeding baby A (Roxi). ”
Kelsey's labor continued, but when Rebel didn't drop as expected, the team decided to have a C-section, and the next morning, she was reunited with her sister at 7 pounds5 oz.
"After such a long and crazy journey, my two daughters are together for the first time, which means the whole world can see," Kelsey said. ”。
After nine months of waiting, Kelsey and her husband, Caleb, are enjoying getting to know their newborn – leaving only one big question behind. Are Roxi and Rebel technically twins?
Professor Davis said that I think it is safe to call these two girls fraternal twins, and at the end of the day, two babies are in the same belly at the same time.
They just have different apartments. ”