Hazel Bowden is the only woman in the UK to have two double deliveries within 12 months
Mum Hazel was getting through four loads of washing every day
A Lancashire mum is the only woman in the UK to have given birth to two sets of twins in just one year, reports the Daily Mail. Hazel Bowden, 40, had Sarah and Connor, now 3, less than a year after delivering her first set of twins, Luke and Hannah, who are now 4.
Hazel and her husband Andy, 38, discovered she was pregnant a few days before their wedding in 2005. Her 14-week scan confirmed she was expecting twins. “I put on a brave face, but at the back of my mind I was scared,” said Hazel, who is also mum to Charlotte, 9, from a previous relationship.
She gave birth to her first set of twins on 22 September 2005. “The first time I held them, I felt an indescribable mixture of joy and despair. I kept asking Andy how we would manage, but he said we’d find a way.”
Despite being on the contraceptive pill, Hazel discovered she was pregnant with her second set of twins just four months after giving birth. “I became so big that I couldn’t look after Hannah and Luke, and Andy had to stop working so he could help me.”
On 16 September 2006, Hazel began her second double delivery, giving birth to Sarah and Connor five weeks early. “At one point, Andy and I were preparing 24 bottles, getting through 35 nappies and doing four loads of washing every day,” said Hazel. “But now, all four twins have started going to nursery in the mornings. They’ve had to be very independent, but Hannah and Sarah love emptying the dishwasher, which is unheard of in a lot of families! They have such a strong bond.”
