A mother from Fort Worth, Texas, was in complete shock when she found out at a prenatal appointment that she was expecting not one, but two babies. Cara Winhold showed up to her five-week checkup for an ultrasound not in the best of spirits, after having three miscarriages. She wanted to be hopeful that this time around, things would be different.
At first, the doctor informed Cara and her husband, Blake, that there was no heartbeat just yet. Any mother who has gone through miscarriage knows that this can feel like the world is caving in on you. But moments later, what happened shocked just about everyone in the room.
Not only was there a strong heartbeat, but, there was also another surprise in store.
The doctor informed Cara and Blake that the baby had a strong heartbeat, but that the baby wasn't alone in the womb. In fact, there was another fetus in the ultrasound that appeared "out of nowhere."
"Everyone in the room was in shock," Cara told Today Parents.
What happened with Cara's pregnancy is called "superfetation," and it's extremely rare.
Dr. Lisa Thiel, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Spectrum Health in Michigan, says that when a women becomes pregnant, it's usually "impossible" for her to conceive again due to the way the female body operates after conception.
The reason this is so rare is because hormones are released by the woman’s body to prevent further ovulation and a thick mucus is created at the cervix to prevent any further sperm from entering the uterus at that time," Thiel stated.
According to Cara's OB/GYN, the babies were conceived about a week apart.
The two boys were born on October 25, 2021. Although they were born on the same day, the two are from two different sperm and two different eggs. And, Cara says that their differences can be seen now, at 8 months old.
"It’s dramatic how much bigger Colson is, still. He’s 8 months old but wearing 24-month clothing. Cayden is wearing 6- to 9-month sizes," the mom shared.
But both boys are healthy and growing. And, their parents could not be happier.
