A woman became pregnant while she was already pregnant and delivered both babies simultaneously in a rare occurrence.
Rebecca Roberts of the U.K. had struggled with infertility for years. Last year, she got the help she so desperately sought when she began taking fertility medications. Before long, Roberts and her partner, Rhys Weaver, discovered that she was pregnant. However, during that pregnancy, Roberts got pregnant again.
While Roberts stated that “this is not supposed to happen at all,” she feels blessed to have delivered her “super twins” back in September after conceiving them three weeks apart.
Roberts case is just one of a few known instances of “superfetation,” which is the occurrence of a second conception during pregnancy. In past circumstances, women have conceived ten days after becoming pregnant the first time. Roberts case may hold the record for the longest time between conceptions.
Superfetation happens when a second egg is fertilized by sperm and implants in the uterus after another fertilized egg has already done so. This process is nearly impossible and comes with added risks, such as the fetuses growing at different stages in the womb. Roberts was told that Rosalie, her youngest child, might not survive. The mother was induced at 33 weeks because the baby girl’s umbilical cord hindered her growth in the womb. When the baby was born, she weighed only two pounds, seven ounces. Her brother, Noah, weighed four pounds, ten ounces. Both babies spent time in the NICU before going home shortly before Christmas.
The babies are now healthy, and Roberts documents their journey on her Instagram.
“Our babies are absolutely amazing,” Roberts wrote. “They are really special, and I just feel so happy that I’m their mom, and I get to share this amazing journey with them.”
