Mum conceives twins three weeks apart in miraculous double pregnancy

Gabriella Christmas-Da Silva was thrilled when she found out she was having a baby – but was in for a shock at an emergency five-week scan when a shadow appeared.

The 30-year-old was stunned when medics told her the shadow was actually a baby that had been conceived a few weeks after the first. This rare condition is known as superfetation – something that occurs in just 0.3% of women.

At her 12 week scan, Gabriella discovered the second twin was developing three weeks behind the first. 

Gabriella, from Bedfordshire, said: ‘I went for an early scan at about five weeks because I thought I was losing the baby.

‘I had an internal ultrasound because it was so early.

‘They said there was a baby and a shadow which could have possible been another baby but they didn’t know for sure because it was a lot smaller.

‘At the 12-week scan, the doctors were worried because one was so much bigger than the other and they thought that was because the babies were sharing a placenta.’

The twins Eduardo and Ezra were delivered by C-section in July 2018 and, despite the age gap, both were happy and healthy.

Eduardo – who was the first conceived – weighed 6lbs 4oz while Ezra came in at 4lbs 6oz.

Gabriella said: ‘They are twins because they were born on the same day and have the same genetic parents but it was two separate pregnancies that happened at the same time.

‘It was really hard to get our heads around the fact that I’d fallen pregnant while I was already pregnant.

‘They looked different when they were born, my little one, Ezra, was a lot smaller so I had to buy clothes for my twins but in different sizes and his skin hadn’t gone through the process of being less waxy so he looked like a little old man.

‘I’m really fortunate that they were both healthy because there were fears Ezra would have to go into NICU because he was premature and his brother wasn’t but he was a healthy, early baby.’