DOUBLE MIRACLE MOTHER
EXCLUSIVE Girl tells of the amazing moment doctor told her 'You have a one-in-a-million body' Lindsay falls pregnant ..then discovers she has 2 reproductive systems She only had half the chance of conceiving.. and baby will be her last
By Amy Nelmes And Boudicca Fox-Leonard
EXCLUSIVE Girl tells of the amazing moment doctor told her 'You have a one-in-a-million body' Lindsay falls pregnant ..then discovers she has 2 reproductive systems She only had half the chance of conceiving.. and baby will be her last
By Amy Nelmes And Boudicca Fox-Leonard
Miracle mum Lindsay Hasaj was over the moon when she learned she was pregnant - but doctors also delivered news that stunned her.
Lindsay, 27, found she is a woman in a million, with TWO wombs, TWO cervixes and TWO vaginas.
Incredibly, she was born with the condition - called Uterus didelphys - but it had gone undetected until November.
She said: "I felt sick inside as I heard the words. This was life changing information. I knew nothing would be the same again."
Despite the shock news, Lindsay and husband Tony, 30, are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child.
They married in July and in September decided to try for a baby.
Financial sales worker Lindsay said: "I always knew once I'd found the right man I would want to settle down and start a family. As soon as we were married we thought, 'Let's get on with it'."
The couple were delighted when she realised she was pregnant within two months.
Lindsay said: "The moment I broke the news to Tony was incredible, we were both so happy. We decided we didn't want to know whether it's a boy or a girl.
"There are so few fantastic surprises in life and this has to be the best one."
But five weeks into her pregnancy, Lindsay, from North Finchley, North London, suffered pains in her abdomen.
She went to Barnet General Hospital thinking she was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy.
Lindsay said: "Tony was visiting his family in Albania so I decided not to worry him by telling him. I hoped I was just being a hypochondriac."
After a blood test an ectopic pregnancy was ruled out and she was asked to return two days later for a scan.
She went on: "Mum came with me and as I entered the ultrasound room I was convinced I was just being paranoid and they would tell me everything was fine."
But the senographer stared at the image of her unborn child in silence, then left the room to find a superior.
Recalling her feeling of dread, Lindsay said: "I was in a cold sweat. I thought they were going to say I'd had a phantom pregnancy or something.
"Ten minutes later she came back and I was told very matter-of-factly that they could see two wombs and two cervixes."
Lindsay was taken to see a doctor and the diagnosis of Uterus didelphys was confirmed. Although eight in 10,000 women in the UK have some form of the condition, only one in a million has exactly Lindsay's abnormalities. It had gone undetected because nothing is visible externally. Lindsay has one entrance to her vagina. It then divides into two internally.
She said: "It finally made sense of why I'd always had inconclusive readings from smear tests. Each time they did one, it would have been as though they were investigating two different people."
Doctors told Lindsay it was incredible that she became pregnant so easily, because ovulation took place in a different womb each month.
And it was pure luck that Tony's sperm made it into the correct womb at the right time of ovulation.
But Lindsay's condition will pose a series of problems for the pregnancy, as her two wombs are considerably weaker than a normal one.
She said: "I was faced with a double shock - finding I had Uterus didelphys and being told my baby was in danger."
Lindsay then had to make the difficult phone call to Tony, a security firm manager, in Albania and break the news.
She recalled: "Niggling in the back of my mind was the worry that he would think I was a freak.
"It was such a relief when I heard his comforting voice. I knew it would be okay between us."
Last year had already been tumultuous for the couple.
Tony was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in April and was in a coma for a week. Lindsay stayed by his side throughout and feared the worst.
She said: "It was horrific. I had no idea what would happen.
"We were in the middle of planning our wedding. The last thing I wanted to do was take calls about flowers for the reception, when I didn't know if he would be okay or not."
Tony soon made a full recovery and their wedding plans went ahead.
But Lindsay had to face up to the risk to her unborn baby. She said: "My mind was racing. I felt so scared for the baby and wondered if I was a real woman."
After seeing a specialist Lindsay felt reassured.
She said: "He said I had a range of options to make my baby safer".
Lindsay had her first scan and was thrilled when she saw her child.
She said: "The baby was kicking and wriggling and it felt wonderful. It made me feel like I was any other mum experiencing the joys of pregnancy."
Lindsay is now having appointments every fortnight to have her cervix measured to monitor its strength.
She is considering taking hormones to strengthen the cervix and having a cervical stitch. It is also likely she will need a Caesarean delivery.
She also knows it is this will probably be her only baby and that her dreams of a large family are unlikely to be fulfilled.
But she said: "I can't wait to be a mum and I know Tony is going to make the best dad. Because of what has happened I feel this baby is extra special. I'm incredibly lucky. I'm just happy that I've been given the chance to be a mum at least once."
Dr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the London Women's Clinic, explained just how lucky Lindsay was.
He said: "Having Uterus didelphys halves the chance of falling pregnant. There is only 50 per cent chance of the sperm fertilising via the vagina that is ovulating at that time.
Tony said: "We can't wait until July when the baby will be with us - probably to cause more mischief."
Lindsay, 27, found she is a woman in a million, with TWO wombs, TWO cervixes and TWO vaginas.
Incredibly, she was born with the condition - called Uterus didelphys - but it had gone undetected until November.
She said: "I felt sick inside as I heard the words. This was life changing information. I knew nothing would be the same again."
Despite the shock news, Lindsay and husband Tony, 30, are eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child.
They married in July and in September decided to try for a baby.
Financial sales worker Lindsay said: "I always knew once I'd found the right man I would want to settle down and start a family. As soon as we were married we thought, 'Let's get on with it'."
The couple were delighted when she realised she was pregnant within two months.
Lindsay said: "The moment I broke the news to Tony was incredible, we were both so happy. We decided we didn't want to know whether it's a boy or a girl.
"There are so few fantastic surprises in life and this has to be the best one."
But five weeks into her pregnancy, Lindsay, from North Finchley, North London, suffered pains in her abdomen.
She went to Barnet General Hospital thinking she was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy.
Lindsay said: "Tony was visiting his family in Albania so I decided not to worry him by telling him. I hoped I was just being a hypochondriac."
After a blood test an ectopic pregnancy was ruled out and she was asked to return two days later for a scan.
She went on: "Mum came with me and as I entered the ultrasound room I was convinced I was just being paranoid and they would tell me everything was fine."
But the senographer stared at the image of her unborn child in silence, then left the room to find a superior.
Recalling her feeling of dread, Lindsay said: "I was in a cold sweat. I thought they were going to say I'd had a phantom pregnancy or something.
"Ten minutes later she came back and I was told very matter-of-factly that they could see two wombs and two cervixes."
Lindsay was taken to see a doctor and the diagnosis of Uterus didelphys was confirmed. Although eight in 10,000 women in the UK have some form of the condition, only one in a million has exactly Lindsay's abnormalities. It had gone undetected because nothing is visible externally. Lindsay has one entrance to her vagina. It then divides into two internally.
She said: "It finally made sense of why I'd always had inconclusive readings from smear tests. Each time they did one, it would have been as though they were investigating two different people."
Doctors told Lindsay it was incredible that she became pregnant so easily, because ovulation took place in a different womb each month.
And it was pure luck that Tony's sperm made it into the correct womb at the right time of ovulation.
But Lindsay's condition will pose a series of problems for the pregnancy, as her two wombs are considerably weaker than a normal one.
She said: "I was faced with a double shock - finding I had Uterus didelphys and being told my baby was in danger."
Lindsay then had to make the difficult phone call to Tony, a security firm manager, in Albania and break the news.
She recalled: "Niggling in the back of my mind was the worry that he would think I was a freak.
"It was such a relief when I heard his comforting voice. I knew it would be okay between us."
Last year had already been tumultuous for the couple.
Tony was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in April and was in a coma for a week. Lindsay stayed by his side throughout and feared the worst.
She said: "It was horrific. I had no idea what would happen.
"We were in the middle of planning our wedding. The last thing I wanted to do was take calls about flowers for the reception, when I didn't know if he would be okay or not."
Tony soon made a full recovery and their wedding plans went ahead.
But Lindsay had to face up to the risk to her unborn baby. She said: "My mind was racing. I felt so scared for the baby and wondered if I was a real woman."
After seeing a specialist Lindsay felt reassured.
She said: "He said I had a range of options to make my baby safer".
Lindsay had her first scan and was thrilled when she saw her child.
She said: "The baby was kicking and wriggling and it felt wonderful. It made me feel like I was any other mum experiencing the joys of pregnancy."
Lindsay is now having appointments every fortnight to have her cervix measured to monitor its strength.
She is considering taking hormones to strengthen the cervix and having a cervical stitch. It is also likely she will need a Caesarean delivery.
She also knows it is this will probably be her only baby and that her dreams of a large family are unlikely to be fulfilled.
But she said: "I can't wait to be a mum and I know Tony is going to make the best dad. Because of what has happened I feel this baby is extra special. I'm incredibly lucky. I'm just happy that I've been given the chance to be a mum at least once."
Dr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the London Women's Clinic, explained just how lucky Lindsay was.
He said: "Having Uterus didelphys halves the chance of falling pregnant. There is only 50 per cent chance of the sperm fertilising via the vagina that is ovulating at that time.
Tony said: "We can't wait until July when the baby will be with us - probably to cause more mischief."
