Alabama woman with rare double uterus prepares to give birth to her ‘miracle’ twins
Kelsey Hatcher, 32, is just days away from giving birth to her twin daughters. And if that’s not exciting enough, the babies will be delivered from two different uteruses.
Hatcher has a rare condition called uterus didelphys, which affects about 0.3% of the population.
The Alabama mother of three children — soon to be five — shared an update on her "one in 50 million" pregnancy with Fox News Digital.
ALABAMA WOMAN WITH TWO UTERUSES IS PREGNANT WITH TWINS, ONE IN EACH WOMB: ‘1 IN 50 MILLION’ CHANCE
"Everything is still going extremely well with the pregnancy," Hatcher told Fox News Digital in an email exchange.
"The babies are growing right on track and even my doctors are slightly stunned at how well we are all doing."
Hatcher is feeling quite a bit of discomfort as the babies grow, she noted.
"Two babies estimated at around 7 pounds [each] is a lot," she said. "However, I’m trying to stay positive and just enjoy the last few days/weeks of pregnancy knowing this is my very last time."
Hatcher, who works as a massage therapist and fitness coach, is already a mother to Raelynn (6), River (4) and Rhemy (2), all of whom were born via "normal" pregnancies.
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Hatcher and her husband still plan to have a traditional, natural delivery.
"We are waiting until right at the 40-week mark to give my body ample time to go into labor on its own, but if not, we will do an induction," she said. "A cesarean is our last resort at the moment."
In the event an induction is needed, it will occur on Dec. 18 or 19, Hatcher said, to allow the mom and the new babies to be back at home with the other children in time for Christmas.
Overall, the pregnancy has been smooth and uneventful, other than the nature of the pregnancy itself, she told Fox News Digital.
"I am surprised I have been able to make it to 38 weeks without any complications at all and still be healthy," she said.
The most difficult aspect has been preparing financially for a family of seven, Hatcher noted.
"I am self-employed with no pay for maternity leave, so we have been trying to prepare and save as best as we can for the time off and for the unknown of how this delivery will be different than my previous three," she said.
With her previous pregnancies, Hatcher has been able to return to work part-time fairly quickly — but given the uncertain delivery with the twins, there is a chance she will need more time off than normal.
"We do have plenty of family and friends who are willing to help in the first few months as we navigate the transition," she said.
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"Besides trying to mentally prepare for the transition, we have made sure to set up our house the best way we can to accommodate," Hatcher added.
"A lot of it will be a day-to-day learning curve for us."
Shweta Patel, M.D., assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of OBGYN, who is also Hatcher’s obstetrician, described the pregnancy as "very surprising."
She told Fox News Digital, "It's rare enough to have a uterine didelphys, more commonly known as a double uterus, but even more rare to have a pregnancy in each uterus."
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"I had to see the images of the ultrasound myself to believe it."
Since the babies were conceived with two separate eggs and two separate sperm, they will be considered fraternal twins, the doctor confirmed.
The risks associated with Hatcher’s rare pregnancy are the same as with any other twin pregnancy.
Thus far, her prenatal doctors’ appointments have gone well.
Earlier this week, the babies passed their most recent biophysical profile (BPP) and are looking healthy.
The twins' estimated weights are 6 lb., 2 oz. and 6 lb., 10 oz.
The odds of any given woman having this type of pregnancy are about one in 50 million, as an OB/GYN at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston told Scientific American.