New mother gives birth to twins less than one month after welcoming first child

A 20-year-old woman from rural Bangladesh who recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy was stunned when, 26 days later, she gave birth to a set of twins.

Arifa Sultana welcomed her first-born son at Khulna Medical College Hospital in late February, according to Dr. Sheila Poddar, her gynecologist.

Less than four weeks after returning home from the hospital, Sultana was admitted to Ad-din Hospital in Dhaka complaining of lower abdominal pain, the BBC reports.

An ultrasound, which Sultana did not undergo during her first pregnancy, revealed that the new mother was pregnant with twins, despite it being less than a month since she gave birth.

Her physicians discovered she had a condition called uterus didelphys, a rare congenital abnormality in which a female develops a second uterus as a fetus.

The condition often causes no symptoms and may not even be discovered until a routine pelvic exam or during imaging tests to determine the cause of repeated miscarriages, according to the Mayo Clinic.

"We were very shocked and surprised," Dr. Poddar told the BBC. "I have never observed something like this before."

Dr. Poddar performed a successful C-section on Sultana to deliver her twins; a boy and a girl. All three newborns and their mother are said to be in good condition.

While Sultana and her husband say they are excited about their growing family, they also expressed concerned about the financial obligations of raising three children when they originally expected one.

"It was a miracle from Allah that all my children are healthy," her husband, a laborer, told AFP news agency. "I will try my best to keep them happy."