Parenting

Pregnant Mom Learns She Has 2 Wombs -- Each Carrying a Different Baby

ParentingPublished Jul 2, 2020
By Kaitlin Stanford
Kelly Fairhurst and familyKelly Fairhurst

When Kelly Fairhurst went in for her 12-week ultrasound, she was looking forward to hearing some updates about her baby's growth. But she certainly wasn't expecting doctors to drop an absolute bomb on her. According to an ultrasound tech, the UK mom was pregnant with not one but two babies -- each conceived in separate wombs.

Kelly tells CafeMom that the news left her blindsided.

"When they told me I was having twins, I couldn't believe it," she says. "I laughed at first. The first thing I joked to the midwife about was needing to get a new car!"

Because of current health restriction lockdowns, Kelly's partner, Joshua Boundy, had to wait outside in the car while she had her exam, which meant that she had to break the news to him right afterward.

"When I got to the car, I showed him the first scan picture (twin 1), and he was happy to see the baby," she recalls. "Then I showed him the second scan (without saying it was twin 2), and he thought it was just the same scan picture, so when I said, 'That's baby number 2!'"

The Essex mom says her partner, Joshua, was left speechless and almost didn't believe her.

But once it all sank in, he was just as happy as she was.

"He too is completely overjoyed by the news," says Kelly, who is already the proud mom of two girls.

As for having two wombs? Well, that was news to Kelly.-placeholder
As for having two wombs? Well, that was news to Kelly.
Kelly Fairhurst

As for having two wombs? Well, that was news to Kelly.

"I think where they weren't looking for it, it was never spotted," she tells CafeMom, adding that although she has two uteruses and two cervixes, she only has one vagina. "Also, where my previous pregnancies had no complications, other than the fact they were premature births, it was never something to look into."

According to the Mayo Clinic, having a double uterus (also known as "uterus didelphys") is actually more common than you might think -- it occurs in about 1 out of every 3,000 women. But becoming pregnant with twins in each of those uteruses? Well ... according to Kelly, she's heard that the chances of that are more like 1 in 50 million.

Now 19 weeks along, Kelly says the babies are doing well and appear to be healthy.-placeholder
Now 19 weeks along, Kelly says the babies are doing well and appear to be healthy.
Kelly Fairhurst

Now 19 weeks along, Kelly says the babies are doing well and appear to be healthy.

That said, the couple does have some concerns -- such as whether Kelly might go into labor twice and have to endure two separate deliveries. Believe it or not, it's happened before. Back in 2019, a Bangladeshi woman with uterus didelphys gave birth to three babies within the span of a month. The first arrived in February ... and just 26 days later, came twins.

Most of all, though, the Fairhursts are simply worried about the babies being premature, because both of their older children came early and multiple births tend to cause premature deliveries.

"We know the chances of them being premature are incredibly high," says Kelly, "but we just don't know how early they will be."

But for now, they're looking forward to finding out the babies' genders soon.

Another possibility? 

"The twins could be identical," Kelly told the Sun, which added that the condition itself is pretty rare but possible.

She says she's sharing her story now so that other women in her position might feel less alone. 

"I wanted to be able to speak to people who have been through the same situation as me, to know the outcome of the pregnancy and if they experienced any complications," she explains. "Some people, like me, are completely unaware they have a didelphys uterus. It's common to have miscarriages with a didelphys, so maybe there are women out there unaware that may be the reason why."

"I'm no medical expert," she adds, "but it's just another possibility."

If nothing else, Kelly's story certainly shines a light on a rarely talked-about condition and helps shatter any stigma that may still exist around it.

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