In a remarkable turn of events defying all odds, two sets of exceptionally rare twins were brought into the world on the very same day, despite being conceived with a three-week interval between them, and remarkably, they also share the exact same birthday.
Rebecca Roberts and her companion Rhys Weaver attempted for years to conceive their first child together.
The following year, the couple was overjoyed to learn that Roberts, who had been prescribed fertility medication, was pregnant.
When Roberts had her third ultrasound at 12 weeks pregnant and doctors discovered a second baby, she said her excitement transformed to shock.
The pregnancy of Roberts was diagnosed as superfetation, a condition in which a second pregnancy occurs during the first. In order for this to occur, the ovary must discharge eggs on two separate occasions. According to Walker, they fertilise and then implant into the uterus.
“My first thought was how could I have missed the second twin,” Walker said. “Thereupon, [I] was somewhat relieved to learn that it was not my error, but rather an extremely unusual pregnancy.”
In the case of Roberts, the elder twin was three weeks older than the younger twin, which is believed to be one of the largest age differences among superfetation twins known to date.
Roberts discovered she was expecting twins without Weaver’s presence. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, he was not permitted to attend the appointment in person.
“When I found out we were having twins, he was in the parking lot,” Roberts said of her companion. There was such a range of feelings.
Roberts stated that she and Weaver had difficulty locating information about superfetation online due to its rarity.
Doctors informed them that their younger twin daughter, whom they named Rosalie, may not survive.
“What followed pregnancy was such an incredible amount of work,” said Roberts. “It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, as you might anticipate from a pregnancy. It was quite terrifying.”
She continued, “With twins, it’s already terrifying, but because of my age and the fact that they were conceived at different times, the odds were stacked against Rosalie.”
Due to an issue with Rosalie’s umbilical cord, the physicians induced labour when Roberts was 33 weeks pregnant because Rosalie’s growth had ceased.
Last September, she successfully delivered a son, Noah, who weighed 4 pounds and 10 ounces, and a daughter, Rosalie, who weighed only 2 pounds and 7 ounces.
Rosalie was only a 30-week-old infant who had not developed adequately, according to Roberts. Her placenta never correctly developed.
Rosalie spent the next 95 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), whereas Noah spent just over three weeks in a different NICU.
When Rosalie returned home just before Christmas, the family was finally reunited.
Roberts said, “They are my supertwins.” “Every day when I look at them, I think, ‘Wow, I’m so fortunate!’”
“I wanted another child for years and years and years, and I waited for the right man to come along, and then I met Rhys, and we fell in love, and we wanted a baby for years, but we couldn’t get pregnant,” she continued. “Thereafter, we became pregnant and were graced with two children. It’s like, “Wow, this was definitely worth the wait.”
Roberts stated that she already observes an extraordinary connection between Noah and Rosalie, who is growing and catching up to her sibling in size.
“When we lay them down next to each other, it’s as if they immediately recognise each other, and they reach out to touch each other’s faces; it’s the most beautiful thing,” she said. The story between these two twins will make them feel even more special when they are old enough to learn it