Morton Plant Hospital Welcomes Twin Babies Born From Double Uterus

CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thought to be a one-in-five million chance, two babies from two separate uteruses were delivered at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. Andreea Barbosa, 24, of Clearwater, and husband, Miguel Barbosa, welcomed fraternal twins, Nathan and Natalie Barbosa, on September 15, 2011.

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"I was shocked to learn I had a baby in each uterus," said Mrs. Barbosa, who has a two-year-old daughter at home. "But my husband and I are just so happy that they are here and healthy."

Barbosa has a rare condition called uterus didelphys, or double uterus, which affects about one in 2,000 women worldwide. Although this rare condition can cause infertility, miscarriage, or premature birth for many women, Barbosa delivered her healthy baby boy and girl at 36 weeks by cesarean section. Baby Nathan was delivered first and weighed in at 5 lbs, 8 oz. Two minutes later, his sister Natalie arrived, weighing 5 lbs, 10 oz.

There have only been about 100 known cases worldwide of women with uterus didelphys being pregnant in both uteruses at the same time. Because the condition is so rare, various statistics on the incidents of the unusual pregnancies have been documented. The most recent involved a woman in India who delivered twins in separate uteruses on July 29.

Barbosa's doctor, Patricia St. John, MD, OB/GYN at Morton Plant Hospital, said that her patient knew the risks that were involved with her pregnancy. "We were thrilled to work with the family and guide them through this unique pregnancy and delivery," said Dr. St. John. "Because we were aware of her condition, we were able to take special precautions to ensure that both mother and babies would be healthy."

Uterus didelphys develops in the female fetus before birth and occurs when the two tubes that normally fuse together to form the uterus fail to form, developing into two separate cavities. In some cases, the double uterus is never diagnosed and some women don't realize they have the condition even during pregnancy and childbirth. Symptoms include unusual pain before or during a period and abnormal bleeding during a period.

About Morton Plant Hospital
Established in 1916, Morton Plant Hospital is a 687-bed facility. Our commitment to improving the health of everyone we serve is reflected in our community partnerships and many honors. Morton Plant is the only hospital in the United States to have been awarded Top 100 Hospital designations by the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: National Benchmarks for Success for a consecutive 12 years. Other hospital honors include: Magnet Designation for the second time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the most prestigious national recognition of excellence in nursing care, "Baby-Friendly" hospital status from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for its efforts to support mothers' decision to breast feed. In 2010, Morton Plant received the Florida Hospitals Association's Innovation of the Year in Patient Care award. Morton Plant Hospital is located at 300 Pinellas Street, Clearwater, Fla.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 10 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient's lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need.

BayCare's family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony's, St. Joseph's, St. Joseph's Children's, St. Joseph's Hospital-North, St. Joseph's Women's, and South Florida Baptist. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.

SOURCE BayCare Health System