A woman has shared her experience of becoming pregnant while already pregnant, highlighting the rare phenomenon known as superfetation, which allows for two separate pregnancies to occur simultaneously.
In 2020, 39-year-old Rebecca Roberts and her partner Rhys Weaver, 43, were surprised during an ultrasound for their son Noah, conceived 12 weeks earlier, when they discovered she was also pregnant with their daughter, Rosalie, conceived just three weeks later.
Rebecca expressed her gratitude, saying, “We feel really lucky; it’s wonderful to have such special twins. They are truly a blessing.”
Doctors informed her that this was a case of superfetation, which left Rebecca amazed at the uniqueness of her situation. “I didn’t even know that existed. Even my midwife found it baffling,” she noted.
Although there are risks associated with the second baby during pregnancy, Rebecca successfully delivered Noah, who weighed 4lb 10oz, and Rosalie, who weighed 2lb 7oz, on September 17, 2020, at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.
Due to her smaller size, Rosalie was transferred to St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol, where she spent 95 days in care to gain strength. Noah required three weeks of treatment in Bath before returning home to meet his 14-year-old sister, Summer.
Dr. Misra-Sharp explained that while such occurrences are considered anomalies, it’s important to differentiate superfetation from more common twin pregnancies.
In superfetation, eggs are released and fertilized at different times, often weeks apart, whereas twins result from simultaneous fertilization.
Ultrasounds can typically detect superfetation, revealing that the two fetuses may be at different stages of development, with one appearing smaller or younger than the other, unlike twins, which usually have similar gestational ages.
