It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel but it’s very real. Recently, a Mom Gave Birth to Three Babies, 4 Weeks Apart and She’s My Hero.
Now, you might be wondering just how this is even medically possible and I was a bit taken back myself.
According to reports, 20-year-old Arifa Sultana from a rural village in Bangladesh gave birth to a baby and then almost 4 weeks later (26 days to be exact) gave birth to a set of twins.
The shock factor was that she did not know she was pregnant – twice. She delivered a healthy baby boy and only returned to the hospital several weeks later with stomach pain. That is when doctors made the shocking discovery that she was in labor, again.
So, how is this possible?
Well, Arifa has a condition called uterus didelphys which is a rare congenital abnormality where the body can form two complete and separate uteruses and, can entirely become pregnant and give birth from both.
“In a female fetus, the uterus starts out as two small tubes. As the fetus develops, the tubes normally join to create one larger, hollow organ — the uterus. Sometimes, however, the tubes don’t join completely. Instead, each one develops into a separate structure.” – Mayo Clinic
Now that you know what it is, you might be wondering how a woman can go an entire pregnancy without she is pregnant with multiple babies let alone, go without knowing she has two uteruses.
I mean, wasn’t she showing quite a bit for carrying 3 babies?
Did doctors not see anything out of the ordinary while she gave birth the first time?
While it’s true that any normal ultrasound would show both of these things, you have to remember that she lives in a rural area with limited medical access. She actually didn’t receive medical care until she was ready to give birth so, it entirely makes sense that she didn’t know of her condition or additional pregnancy.
All things aside, I can’t even imagine giving birth pretty much back to back.
With my last pregnancy it took me almost 2 months to recover and even being 4 months postpartum now, I still don’t feel 100%. She is certainly a hero for giving birth twice within a few weeks.
Let’s just hope this mama and her babies are doing well and that she recovers quickly!
Hi- yes this is a remarkable story. But it got me thinking about just one small, but very important sentence you mentioned. “You are 4 months out with postpartum depression.” With her lack of access to medical care, how would she cope with that hopeless, gut wrenching sadness without medical care?
I think that we as women do not speak freely enough about the impact postpartum depression has/had on us after our beautiful babies are born.
That would be a blog topic at sometime that would be good for community. Women are just now getting comfortable discussing miscarriages, we need to face the ugly truth that even after this blissful life-changing event your mind, and emotions, will betray you with no fault of your own, and no controls, typically without medical advice.
Thank you for the story.