Kelsey Hatcher arrived at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital on Dec. 19 for a scheduled induction for her fourth pregnancy. Many would assume Kelsey’s fourth time giving birth would be a walk in the park, and some may consider her an expert since she had three prior typical, healthy pregnancies.a
However, Kelsey walked into UAB with a pregnancy classified as truly one in a million: She has a rare double uterus and was pregnant with a baby on each side.
After 20 combined hours of labor, she gave birth to two girls, Baby A born Dec. 19 and Baby B born Dec. 20. For Kelsey and her family, this rarity meant double the uterus, double the labor, double the babies and double the birthdays.
When Kelsey was 17, she was diagnosed with a double uterus — also known as uterus didelphys — a rare congenital anomaly that occurs in 0.3 percent of women. The condition occurs when the Müllerian ducts fail to fuse together and subsequently form two uterine cavities, often referred to as “horns.” Each uterus has one fallopian tube and one ovary. In Kelsey’s case, she also has two cervices.
A few weeks into her fourth pregnancy, Kelsey noticed some bleeding. Since women with a double uterus are at a higher risk of miscarriage, she made an appointment for her first ultrasound. After the UAB ultrasound showed the baby was doing well, Kelsey asked her to check her second uterus for good measure.