'I Was Pregnant at the Same Time as My Daughter, Twice!'

Learning that you're pregnant again after you thought you were done with sleepless nights and dirty nappies must be quite the shock. But, discovering that you're pregnant alongside your daughter is truly extraordinary.

Jammie Rush, a mother of seven from Fresno, California, got to experience this feeling not once, but twice, with two of her daughters. Now, her children and grandchildren are growing up together just like siblings.

Rush got pregnant with her first daughter when she was just 19 years old. Now, 25 years and seven children later, she's just turned 44 and had decided she's done having babies for good.

During the last three decades, the number of women over 40 getting pregnant and becoming first-time mothers has increased dramatically, while the number of young mothers has declined. In 1990, there were 31.50 births for every 1,000 women aged 35-39. In 2019, there were 52.72 births for every 1,000 women aged 35-39, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics.

When Rush first found out that she was pregnant at the same time as her eldest daughter, who is now 25, she felt embarrassed and judged, and even tried to keep it a secret for as long as physically possible. But then her entire family found out because of one physical issue that she developed.

"My first daughter was about seven months pregnant when I found out that I was pregnant too," Rush told Newsweek. "But I didn't tell anyone because I was embarrassed that I was pregnant with my daughter, so I kept it a secret. When she found out—when everyone found out—I was about four months in, and it was because I had a spitting problem. I spit throughout my entire pregnancy."

What Is Ptyalism Gravidarum? The Reason You Have A Lot Of Saliva During Pregnancy

Spitting during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, is a symptom of ptyalism gravidarum, a condition where the patient produces too much saliva—up to two liters daily. It is also known as hypersalivation, or sialorrhea, and often affects women in the early stages of pregnancy. according to the British National Children Trust (NCT).

While it is not harmful to the baby, it can become quite uncomfortable for the mother. The issue usually resolves by the second trimester but can sometimes linger through the entire pregnancy.

'Two Years Later, It Happened Again With My Second Daughter'

When she found out that she was pregnant, Rush nervously repeated her pregnancy test a couple of times, just to be sure. Even though she was embarrassed by the results, her pregnancy still made her happy, as having a big family has always been one of her biggest wishes in life.

While her first daughter had her baby in June, Rush's family discovered her pregnancy only in August, and after a few jokes like "wow, mom" and "oh my gosh you're too old for trying to have babies," they all welcomed her pregnancy "with open arms," she said.

"So that one went by really well...But then two years later, it happened again with my second daughter!" Rush said.

She first tried telling her daughter that she was pregnant in November, but after she managed to find the words she immediately retreated, saying she was just joking. A month later, in December, her second daughter got a positive pregnancy test, and Rush couldn't believe this was happening again.

"So in December, [my daughter] found out she was pregnant, but yet she still didn't know that I was pregnant too, so it was kind of like: 'Oh, wow. Now we're weeks apart.' And so I finally took her to the doctor's appointment, to confirm her pregnancy, and that's when they noticed me spitting again. That's how they found out that I was pregnant—again," Rush said.

"So now we're making doctor's appointments together, we share the same OBGYN, we have the same doctor, so we did just put everything together. Now we're only six weeks apart so we were able to do a lot together!"

When Is A Mother-Daughter Relationship Too Close?

A study published by the National Library of Medicine shows that even though 96 percent of mothers reported getting along well with their daughters, and 86 percent said they talk about a lot of things, only 59 percent of them said they discuss social affairs which each other.

Only 27 percent of mothers and 22 percent of daughters ask each other for advice on issues concerning social affairs and relationships, and even less, about 13 percent of mothers and 12 percent of daughters talk to each other about their health.

'I Know They Are My Grandkids, But They Also Call Me Mom!'

Rush said the second pregnancy felt worse than the first because she felt like everyone was going to be talking about her: "Like, 'oh my gosh, she's pregnant again with her other child!' So I just felt like everyone was laughing at me. But at the same time, I was excited, I was happy," she added.

This experience brought her closer to her daughters, who became like friends, after going through motherhood at the same time, which she describes as a "great experience."

"To me, it feels like I just have two extra kids added to my family tree, so I love it. I don't look at them differently. I know those are my grandkids but also they call me mom! They call their mom, mama and they call me mom," Rush said.

"Our kids are always together. Their relationship is basically like brothers, they look at each other like siblings, like they're all brothers and sisters. The two oldest ones, they play together a lot and they get along very well, they even go to school together."

Uncommon Knowledge

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