A mother born with ᴛᴡᴏ ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀs has told how she only ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ the ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ when giving birth to her son. Brittany Jacobs, 26, has ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴅɪᴅᴇʟᴘʜʏs, meaning she was born with ᴛᴡᴏ Fᴜʟʟʏ-Fᴜɴᴄᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ sʏsᴛᴇᴍs, and therefore has ᴛᴡᴏ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜsᴇs, ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇʀᴠɪxᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀs.
The mum-of-two was completely unaware of her ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ until she gave birth to her first child, Zack, when she was 25 years old. She wanted a ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ʙɪʀᴛʜ, but the experience was ᴇxᴄʀᴜᴄɪᴀᴛɪɴɢ because her ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀ has been ‘ʜᴀʟᴠᴇᴅ’ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ ᴅᴜᴇ to a ᴅɪᴠɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴡᴀʟʟ ᴏf ᴛɪssᴜᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀ, known as a sᴇᴘᴛᴜᴍ. She said: ” I was trying to have a ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ʙɪʀᴛʜ and so they began ᴄᴜᴛᴛɪɴɢ without ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. I do not remember much but I do remember it was sᴏ ᴘᴀɪɴFᴜʟ. I was ᴋɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ and sᴄʀᴇᴀᴍɪɴɢ and ʙᴇɢɢɪɴɢ myself to ᴘᴀss ᴏᴜᴛ. They eventually gave me an ᴇᴘɪᴅᴜʀᴀʟ and then ᴄᴜᴛ it. At that point, it was ᴘᴀɪɴʟᴇss.”
The pair admit they’d always sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to have ⓢⓔⓧ, and Fᴏᴜɴᴅ the experience ‘ᴜɴᴄᴏᴍFᴏʀᴛᴀʙʟᴇ’ ᴅᴜᴇ to Brittany’s ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ “ʜᴀʟᴠᴇᴅ” ɪɴ sɪᴢᴇ. When Zack was born, ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs ᴄᴜᴛ Brittany’s sᴇᴘᴛᴜᴍ to ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ the ᴏʙsᴛᴀᴄʟᴇ, which ᴄᴀᴜsᴇᴅ Brittany ᴜɴʙᴇᴀʀᴀʙʟᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ. Despite the ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ, Brittany wants more sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ to ʀᴇᴅᴜᴄᴇ the ᴘᴀɪɴ of having ⓢⓔⓧ where sᴄᴀʀ ᴛɪssᴜᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴs. She said :” There is knowledge of my ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ as a ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴅᴇFᴇᴄᴛ but as far as long-term ɪssᴜᴇs go, I have had to ʀᴇʟʏ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ sᴜᴘᴘᴏʀᴛ group. We still try to rely on ᴠᴇʀɪFɪᴇᴅ ɪɴFᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ – women discuss their ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ᴀʀᴛɪᴄʟᴇs, conversations with ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs, ᴜʟᴛʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅ ʀᴇsᴜʟᴛs and much more.” She claims lots of ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs she has spoken to ‘ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ’ aboutᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟɪᴛɪᴇs with the ᴡᴏᴍʙ, meaning she often has to rely on ‘word of mouth’ to understand her sʏᴍᴘᴛᴏᴍs.
She added:” I have to do my own ǫᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ on my ɪssᴜᴇs and ᴀᴅᴠᴏᴄᴀᴛᴇ Fᴏʀ ᴍʏ ɴᴇᴇᴅs. I am understanding why my ʙᴏᴅʏ is different from ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs and why it may need different care than ᴏᴛʜᴇʀs. I had a man reach out to me personally and tell me that his ᴡɪFᴇ has ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴅɪᴅᴇʟᴘʜʏs and she also ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ know until she was giving birth. She ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴘᴀssɪɴɢ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ and so did her child. It ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ my ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ to hear that someone let that woman and her baby ᴅᴏᴡɴ.”
