Woman has twins after one-night stand as morning after pill doesn’t work for little known reason

Holly Firth, a 29-year-old woman from Ayrshire, Scotland, said she was completely shocked to find out she was pregnant after taking the morning after pill. She’s now sharing her story to warn other women about something not many people know — that the emergency contraceptive pill doesn’t always work. 

Holly had a one-night stand with another guest while attending a family friend’s wedding last July. The next day, wanting to be cautious, she took the morning after pill and thought everything would be fine. But a few weeks later, she started feeling sick from the smell of an air freshener at work, which made her suspicious. She took a pregnancy test — and to her disbelief, it came back positive. 

Things got even more surprising when she went for her first scan at eight weeks and found out she was expecting twins. Holly eventually gave birth to two healthy identical girls, Charlotte and Rose, through a planned C-section on February 27. 

Holly admitted she broke down in tears when she first learned she was pregnant, feeling completely overwhelmed. Being single and not knowing the baby’s father made it even harder to process. But after talking with her parents, she realized it meant “double the love” and came to believe that it was simply meant to happen. 

The twins’ father has chosen not to be involved, but Holly says she will always leave the door open if he ever decides to get in touch. 

Even though Holly had always dreamed of being a mother, she had come to terms with possibly not having children because she had been single for so long. She explained that the morning after pill had worked for her in the past, so she trusted it would work this time too. What she didn’t know was that the pill only works if you haven’t already ovulated — the process when an egg is released from the ovary. 

Since Holly had already ovulated (her period was actually due the day after the wedding), the pill couldn’t prevent the pregnancy. She now wishes she had been told more clearly about this when she went to get it. 

Although her pregnancy was unplanned and came from a one-night stand, Holly says she wouldn’t change a thing now. Meeting her daughters for the first time filled her with a kind of love she had never felt before. Now, she says, the three of them — Holly, Charlotte, and Rose — are a team for life. 

She also added that if her daughters ever want to find or reach out to their father someday, she’ll support them in whatever choice they make, as their happiness is what matters most to her.