An Alabama mom of three is about to add two more babies to her current family of five. Although that may not seem so unusual, her pregnancy is truly something special. Kelsey Hatcher was born with two uteruses and two cervices, which is incredibly rare. But even rarer is the fact that she is pregnant with one baby in each uterus.
Hatcher knew that her body was unique, but never in a million years did she think she would be pregnant with twins in such an amazing way. She and her husband, Caleb, are looking forward to the birth of their daughters, and their medical team is preparing for a once-in-a-career delivery.
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Kelsey found out she was pregnant in the spring.
She told WVTM she and her husband thought their family was complete with three children and were surprised to learn a baby was coming. But she couldn't believe it when she found out she was having two babies, and neither could Caleb.
"I said, well, there's two of them in there. And he said, you're lying. I said, no, I'm not," Kelsey told the news station.
Not only were there two, but she also was pregnant in a way that shocked even doctors.
Her obstetrician had never seen anything like it.
Dr. Shweta Patel shared her surprise with WVTM. She said that Kelsey's pregnancy is incredibly rare and that most OB-GYNs will go their entire careers without seeing anything like Kelsey's case. Because a body with two uteruses and cervices is so rare, Kelsey's pregnancy is considered high-risk. “Very, very rare," Patel said.
University of Alabama at Birmingham physician Dr. Richard Davis, who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, told WVTM that Kelsey's is like nothing he's seen.
"A double cervix or double uteruses 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," he explained.
What will happen during the actual delivery is a mystery at this point.
Because Kelsey's uteruses operate independently, she could go into labor at different times. If she goes into labor on her own, the girls could be born with a big time gap.
"So when she goes into labor, if she does, then we 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," Davis said.
Patel added that Kelsey's pregnancy is such an anomaly that doctors are calling the girls twins, even though they technically aren't.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming birth.
Kelsey's mom, Donna Vaughn Dodd, shared the news of her daughter's pregnancy in May. She said she always knew Kelsey was special but had no idea how special.
"I have always thought of 'My Girl' as one in a million. Turns out, (according to Google), she is 1 in 50 million! We are Feeling blessed to learn she and Caleb are expecting not just one but TWO BABIES!!" she wrote on Facebook. "This is an unexpected and amazing addition to their already family of 5. Lots of planning to do in the next few months and prayers will be much appreciated! Can't wait to meet these little miracles!"
Friends shared in her excitement with lots of love.
"Wow!!! Wow!!!! That's is AMAZING CONGRATULATIONS Prayers for you for a health pregnancy and delivery to all three of you and prayers for hubby just because !!!!lololol," someone wrote on her Facebook page.
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The girls will be the family's last children.
Kelsey told WVTM she and Caleb thought they were finished having babies. They already have three children younger than 7, so adding two babies will make things even more exciting. Her due date is Christmas Day.
"The third one was our last one. But though, we're grateful for the blessings for sure. But this will definitely be the end," Kelsey said.
And what a grand finale they will be.
