A pregnant woman has revealed she is expecting two sets of identical twins after experiencing an incredibly rare conception in which two of her eggs were fertilized at the same time, before both splitting – resulting in her conceiving two separate sets of identical siblings.
Ashley Ness, 35, a hairstylist from Taunton, Massachusetts, went to a routine checkup with her doctor back in February, and was overjoyed to be told that she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Val, 47.
However Ashley’s elation soon turned to shock when she went to an ultrasound two weeks later – and discovered that she is pregnant with not one, but four babies.
The expectant mother, who already has a daughter from a previous relationship, was all the more stunned to discover that the four babies are not quadruplets, but rather two sets of identical twins – a discovery that left even her ultrasound technician baffled.
Babies on board! A pregnant woman was stunned to discover that she was expecting two sets of identical twins at the same time – something her doctor wasn’t even sure was possible
When Ashley Ness, 35, a hairstylist from Massachusetts, went to an ultrasound, she was in for a shock when she was told she was not expanding her brood by just one child, but in fact, by four
It turns out, Ashley is pregnant with two sets of identical twins, and the ultrasound tech had to stop and look online to make sure that what she was seeing was actually feasible
‘When she first started the scan, she was looking at the screen and wrote, “A, B,” so I stopped and looked at her and was like, “Wait, I’m having twins?”‘ she recalled to Good Morning America.
Ashley added that the ultrasound tech was so confused by what she saw that she had to leave the room in order to find out whether such a phenomenon was even possible.
‘And she’s like, “Oh I don’t know … I’m going to step out for a minute,”‘ the pregnant mother recounted.
Upon her return, the medical expert confirmed that Ashley is indeed pregnant with four babies – two boys and two girls.
While chatting with Boston.com, she admitted that she thought she ‘was going to faint’ when she first heard the news – particularly when doctors told her that her double-pregnancy was in a ‘one in 70 million’ occurrence.
‘I literally was sitting there as she’s still scanning me, and I’m like, “OK, how am I going to do this?” Like, how am I going to tell my boyfriend that I’m having quadruplets? How am I gonna tell my family I’m having quadruplets?’ she explained.
After the initial surprise wore off, Ashley said she and Val, who has three kids of his own from a past relationship, became ‘really excited’ that they have four more coming – especially since Ashley struggled with infertility for years.
‘I had a very hard time conceiving my daughter and I’ve had miscarriages in the past,’ she revealed to GMA.
‘So I feel like to be able to be blessed with something so big is so amazing.’
‘When I conceived, it was right before my grandmother had passed away too. So I feel as if it was almost like a gift from her, like sending back the losses that I had. That’s truly how I do feel.’
As she started sharing the news with her family and friends, Ashley said no one believed her, but after realizing that she was telling the truth, they were nothing but supportive.
After the initial shock wore off, Ashley, who has a daughter from a previous relationship (pictured together), said she and her boyfriend, Val, 47, were ‘really excited’
Rare: The hairdresser said she was told only one in every 70 million women naturally conceive two sets of identical twins like she did. Two of the babies’ sonogram photos are seen
The babies – two boys and two girls – are due in October, but doctors plan to induce Ashley in August due to the risk of carrying four babies. The other two babies’ sonogram photos are seen
‘My mom and dad were ecstatic. They were like, “Honestly, if anyone can do it, it’s you. We have no worries for you,”‘ she shared with Boston.com.
‘Most people that truly know me, that’s their comment, they’re like, “Ash, you got this. This is you, it has your name all over it.”‘
Ashley let her eight-year-old daughter, Chanel, pick out the names for her four new siblings – choosing Chesley and Chatham for the girls, and Chance and Cheston for the boys
The hairdresser explained that she is honored to have such a rare thing happen to her, adding that she was told only one in every 70 million women naturally conceive two sets of identical twins like she did.
ABC News previously reported that conceiving two sets of twins at the same time is possible when ‘two different eggs are fertilized – resulting in fraternal twins.’
Then, if those two separate eggs both split – which is rare but possible – it could result in the mother becoming pregnant with two sets of identical twins.
‘I can’t wait to see how identical they are,’ she gushed. ‘Am I going to have a hard time telling them apart?
‘As of right now, I feel like they’re very active inside, so I’m like, “Oh, are you going to be rambunctious little nuggets when you come out? Are you gonna give me a run for my money?”’
Despite her elation, Ashley is worried about the difficulties that come with having four babies at one time.
She said: ‘I’m not going to be able to go to the grocery store and just take my baby and hold the carrier – I have to have four carriers now.
‘There were just so many initial things that were going through my mind. At this point now, I am just like, “I’m just going to do it.”‘
Despite her elation, Ashley and Val, who has three kids from a past marriage, are worried about the difficulties that come with having four babies at one time. She is seen with her daughter
The couple started a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of going from a family of six to a family of 10, where they have already raised nearly $7,000. Ashley is seen with her daughter
She let her eight-year-old daughter, Chanel, pick out the names for her four new siblings, who are due in October.
Keeping up with the family tradition of picking monikers that start with ‘Ch,’ Ashley said she chose Chesley and Chatham for the girls, and Chance and Cheston for the boys.
To accommodate going from a family of six to to a family of 10, Ashley told Boston.com that she wants to get a new van and expand their home.
She has now started a GoFundMe page in an attempt to help pay for the costs of the expansion, where she has already raised nearly $7,000.
‘I’m truly, truly appreciative of what everyone does for me,’ she added. ‘Just to see how positive people have been and what they have done for me, it literally melts my heart. To not even know me and want to help me – it’s amazing.’
Due to the high risk of carrying four babies at once, doctors have decided that they’re going to induce labor at around 30-32 weeks, so Ashley said she expects the babies to arrive sometime in August.
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