Woman With Double Uterus Has Twins--One From Each : Childbirth: The premature girls are born eight days apart. Experts say conception in separate wombs is extremely rare.

SAN JOSE — A woman with a rare double uterus has given birth to twin girls eight days apart from separate wombs, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Cynthia Silveira, 30, gave birth to Hailey, a 2-pound, 8-ounce girl, Monday at the Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. She had given birth Oct. 2 to a 2-pound 2-ounce girl, Hope, said hospital spokeswoman Frankie Valent.

The girls, born prematurely, each were conceived in a different uterus--an occurrence that experts say is extremely rare.

An infertility specialist discovered Silveira had an abnormal “split” uterus. One womb had a normal vaginal opening, while the other was enclosed and its only opening was from the Fallopian tube, which transports ova to the uterus.

The doctor prescribed medication to stimulate ovulation.

Doctors believed it would be impossible for a child to be conceived in the closed uterus.

But after Silveira became pregnant last March, doctors were astonished to find during an ultrasound examination that there were fetuses in both wombs.

Silveira was admitted to the hospital Sept. 28 after going into premature labor. Doctors delivered the baby in the normal uterus by Cesarean section because it was in a feet-first position, Valent said.

Doctors left the second child in the other womb to let it develop more before delivery. Eight days later, Silveira gave birth to the girl’s twin from the second uterus.

Doctors had expected they would have to perform Cesarean delivery during the second birth, but during labor contractions, a membrane separating the two wombs broke and the baby moved into the normal womb and was born vaginally.

Silveira was in excellent condition and the babies were both stable Tuesday, Valent said.