Twins are a strange occurrence in our society – they are basically two of the same person, with the same looks, same DNA, and often the same personalities. Twins are fabled for their close connections to one another. These little girls are no exception – when this mother gave birth to her twin daughters, she had no idea just how close they would be.
Jenna and Jillian Thistlethwaite are identical twins who share a rare bond. Their birth was extremely special and for more than one reason. When the doctor delivered them from the room, his jaw dropped in shock: these twins were born holding hands with one another!
Sarah Thistlethwaite’s second pregnancy started out like any other. She already had a son who was soon to be two years old, so she thought she had the motherhood thing down. Then Sarah got some news she could never have prepared for. She was having the rarest type of twins.
Jenna and Jillian are what are known as mono-amniotic twins, also called “mono mono twins.” These types of twins share not only their mother’s womb but one placenta and all of their amnions and chorions. The girls were unique, but they faced tremendous obstacles.
Mono amniotic twins have an extremely high mortality rate: according to researchers from Fox 8 News, this type of twin is much more likely to die than survive childbirth. When Sarah found out 19 weeks into her pregnancy that Jenna and Jillian were mono amniotic, she did everything she could to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
At 33 weeks, Sarah underwent a Cesarian section. After 57 days of bedrest, she was finally able to welcome her babies into the world. The twins linked their little fingers as they looked at their mother for the first time.
“My heart just melted,” Sarah said. “Even my husband got tears in his eyes – I don’t know that anybody in the room had a dry eye.”
The twins are now one year old, and their bond is as strong as ever. “If one twin is crying, the other will try to find a way to comfort her, like going to find a pacifier or rubbing the other’s back or offering a hug,” Sarah described her daughters’ cute connection. “Twins have this special bond and I can’t wait to watch them grow up and be best friends.”
This is one pair of adorable twins. They are already so sweet to each other; together they will be able to take on the world.
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