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‘Super-fertile’ mother in the UK conceives her second child just four weeks after her first

In the UK, a mother described as “super-fertile” unknowingly conceived her second child just four weeks after giving birth to her first child. Sophie Small, 30, gave birth to daughters Holly and Darcy in August 2020, initially mistaking them for twins. However, midwives noticed the significant size difference between the babies, with Darcy weighing 4 pounds, 2 ounces, and Holly weighing a much larger 6 pounds, 1 ounce.

After further investigation, doctors discovered that the daughters were conceived a month apart due to a rare condition called superfetation. This condition occurs when a second pregnancy develops shortly after the first pregnancy. Small described her pregnancy as “horrific,” experiencing severe morning sickness and being hospitalized eight times in seven weeks. The discrepancy in the babies’ sizes puzzled doctors, who couldn’t understand why one twin was bigger than the other.

Small explained that the babies had their own amniotic sacs and placentas, allowing them to feed individually. However, it wasn’t until after the delivery that tests confirmed the babies were not twins. Darcy was considered a 32-week baby, while Holly was considered a 36-week baby.

As a swimming instructor and mother to another child named Oscar, Small stated that people find it hard to believe her incredible story. Some skeptics question the time difference between the babies, to which she responds, “Darcy is two minutes older and four weeks younger, while Holly was born two minutes after but is four weeks older.”

Small believed she was “very fertile” since she conceived Oscar quickly, and she theorizes that she ovulated again while already pregnant with Holly.

Superfetation refers to the simultaneous occurrence of two pregnancies. It occurs when a second egg is fertilized by sperm days or weeks after the first egg is implanted in the womb. Babies born through superfetation are often mistaken for twins as they can be delivered on the same day during the same labor.

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