A Utah couple was sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ to learn that they were ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ again just four months after welcoming their first child — and were even more ʙʟᴏᴡɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ to discover that they were having twins, who were born less than 11 months after their big sister. Shaylee, 30, and Mykal Bush, 39, were thrilled to welcome their first child, a daughter named Shaylee, in November of 2018. They were so thrilled, in fact, that Shaylee recalls thinking at the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ that she already wanted another baby. But while she may not have meant she wanted another one immediately, that’s what the couple got: They confirmed that they were ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ again just four months after Shaylee ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ, and more than a month before Shaylee’s first ʙɪʀᴛʜday, they welcomed ꜰʀᴀᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴛᴡɪɴs named Oaklyn and Harlow.
Shaylee has documented life with her husband and three children on TikTok, and has earned millions of views on several occasions when she has shared her family’s unlikely story. She and Mykal tied the knot in December of 2017, and were ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ their first child when Shaylee suffered ᴀ ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ. They were soon ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again, though, with their rainbow baby Haisley.
The ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ was a difficult one, with Shaylee developing ᴀ sᴜʙᴄʜᴏʀɪᴏɴɪᴄ ʜᴇᴍᴀᴛᴏᴍᴀ, or S.C.H. An S.C.H occurs when the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴅᴇᴛᴀᴄʜᴇs ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴡᴀʟʟ, which ᴄᴀᴜsᴇs ʙʟᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴇᴍʙʀᴀɴᴇ, which surrounds the baby. It can lead to an increased risk of miscarriage in the first half of the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ, and doctors may recommend mothers reduce physical activity by avoiding exercise and s.ᴇ.x. The couple did ᴀʙsᴛᴀɪɴ from s.ᴇ.x until Shaylee ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ their healthy 5 lb. 9 oz. baby girl.
In one of her viral videos, Shaylee shares an image of herself with Haisley writing: “Me with our firstborn baby. I love her so much I already want another one”. The couple went on to wait the recommended six weeks postpartum before having s.ᴇ.x again, but once the time was up, the pair — who’d had to ᴀʙsᴛᴀɪɴ for months — were ready to get back in the saddle. Neither suspected that Shaylee might get ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again so soon, but around the time Haisley was three months old, Shaylee started ‘feeling ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ.’
By the time Haisley was four months, Shaylee had confirmed that she was ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ once again — this time with twins. Fast forward to October of 2019, just before Haisley was 11 months old, and Shaylee was ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ baby girls Oaklyn Lane and Harlow Locklyn ᴠɪᴀ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. The ꜰʀᴀᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴛᴡɪɴs weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 6 lbs. 8 oz. Shaylee refers to her girls as her ‘Irish triplets’ and says she ‘wouldn’t change a thing.’
Doctors typically recommend waiting a year and a half, or 18 months, between ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ and getting ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ again. According to March of Dimes, short intervals between ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs can increase the chance of a ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ. Pʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ babies are more likely to have health ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs, including small size, ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪssᴜᴇs, and difficulty feeding. Waiting longer in between ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs gives the body time to build up its nutrient supply, heal from ɪɴꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴꜰʟᴀᴍᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, and reset the microbiome of the ᴠᴀɢɪɴᴀ.
Whether the ᴇʟᴇᴠᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʀɪsᴋs are due to our bodies not having time to recover if we ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ sᴏᴏɴ after ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪɴɢ or to factors associated with unplanned ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs, like inadequate prenatal care, the recommendation might be the same: improve access to ᴘᴏsᴛᴘᴀʀᴛᴜᴍ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ, or ᴀʙsᴛᴀɪɴ from unprotected Ultimately, it will be a woman’s choice, whatever age they are, about how long they leave between their ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs. What is important is that they are aware of the evidence around ʙɪʀᴛʜ spacing and that they make their choice armed with the right information.
Health professionals will always support a woman choice, which will be about what is right for them and their ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. Women needed access to ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴀᴅᴠɪᴄᴇ to allow them to space their ʙɪʀᴛʜs, if that was their choice.
