A woman who struggled with fertility issues has beaten odds of 70 million to one by getting pregnant with two sets of identical twins at the same time. Ashley Ness, 35, fell pregnant with her boyfriend Val, 47, and went for a check-up with her doctor in February.
She was thrilled to be expecting her second child, but joy quickly turned to shock when Ashley learned that she was carrying not one but four babies. To make matters even more peculiar, the four babies were not quadruplets but rather two sets of identical twins - two boys and two girls - an rare medical phenomenon.
When Ashley, from Massachussetts, USA, went for her ultrasound, she said that the nurse could not believe what she was seeing and had to Google it to see if she was right, The Mirror reports.
Ashley said: "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?' And she's like, 'Oh I don't know... I'm going to step out for a minute'."
When the news of her unusual pregnancy was confirmed, Ashley said that she felt like she was going to faint, but soon she and Val, who has three children from a previous relationship, became excited.
Ashley said that she had struggled to get pregnant, so the news that she was carrying four children felt like a miracle. She added: "I had a very hard time conceiving my daughter and I've had miscarriages in the past, so I feel like to be able to be blessed with something so big is so amazing."
Ashley and Val's four new arrivals are due in October, but will be induced prematurely due to the risk of delivering four babies naturally.
Speaking to local news outlet Boston.com, Ashley added: "My mum and dad were ecstatic. They were like, 'Honestly, if anyone can do it, it’s you. We have no worries for you'.
"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'.
"I can’t wait to see how identical they are - am I going to have a hard time telling them apart?" A GoFundMe page was set up for Ashley and Kim by mutual friend Lisa Voci Potter, and so far over £7,000 has been donated to the family.
The description reads: "The ultrasound technician had to recheck before confirming that she was pregnant with quadruplets. Two sets of identical twins, two boys and two girls, are unique.
"Only about 150 sets of quadruplets and higher-order multiples are born in the United States each year. Most often, they happen when a parent has been using assisted reproduction. In Ashley's case, her quadruplets are considered spontaneous. Naturally occurring.
"Ashley and her boyfriend are thrilled and overwhelmed. They already have four children between them. The expenses, even now, are adding up. They need help - lots of help.
"She lives on a part-time hairdresser's income, and he's a small engine mechanic. They will need lots of support as quadruplets require hospital trips, home care, lots of diapers, and other necessities.
"The babies are due in October; however, for the health and well-being of Ashley and her babies, they will most likely be delivered in mid-August.
"Ashley cannot return to work as these tiny miracles will need round-the-clock care for most of their first year. Your donations will help support these little miracles' needs.
"Any donations will be gratefully accepted."
To donate to the family, please visit the page here.
Despite being incredibly rare, it is possible to get pregnant with two sets of twins at the same time.
It happens when two different eggs are both fertilised by two different sperm, and both eggs then split to develop into twins.
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