Identical twin sisters have given birth just minutes apart in the same maternity ward at Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
Nicole and Renee Baillie have shared countless experiences throughout their lives, but giving birth within minutes of each other was not one they expected.
“We magically fell pregnant at the same time, which was crazy,” Nicole said.
Two years ago, the sisters gave birth to their first daughters within six months.
This time, their due dates were a fortnight apart, but fate intervened on Thursday morning when they gave birth just 22 minutes apart.
“We magically fell pregnant at the same time, which was crazy – it was just meant to be,” Nicole said.
“We’ve been hanging out on maternity leave the past two or three weeks, just nesting and waiting, thinking I was going to go at least a week before because our due date was 10 days apart, but now she actually beat me by 22 minutes.”
The twins said they were in disbelief about the coincidence.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Renee said.
“We’ve just been laughing about it all day.”
Nicole started having contractions first, and Renee went to her house to look after both of their young daughters.
Then Renee’s waters broke.
The cousins, who also share the DNA similarities of half-siblings, were almost identical in weight.
Nicole’s baby Zavian Dacy and Renee’s baby Ruby Toole were just 200 grams apart on the scales.
The Sunshine Coast Health midwifery team was thrilled to welcome the two babies into the world.
“I’ve never seen it happen and I’ve been a midwife for 18 years,” Nicola Hamilton said.
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