Two consecutive twin pregnancies by one couple overcame the odds.
About three years after the birth of their girl twins, Niamh and Esme, Gina Shelton and Olie Lloyd welcomed their twin boys Arlo and Alby into the world.
The likelihood of conceiving two sets of twins one after the other (without any further children in the interim) is thought to be 700,000 to 1.
I never thought we would have twins, but I was working in a nursery when I was pregnant with the girls and I was just so exhausted all the time, said Gina, who is also the mother of Phoebe, age six.
“Everyone in my immediate vicinity kept telling me I was going to have twins.
Before the scan, Olie and I were looking at automobiles in the hospital waiting area. Olie was saying, “Forget it, we’re going to need a bus!”
We were living in a two-bedroom apartment at the time, and Olie was busy building our house, so I imagine we were inconsolable with joy and terror when we learned the news.
We were shocked to learn we were expecting another set of twins a year later, and neither could our family or even our physicians.
Having five kids is wild, hectic, and noisy, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“My family is one in a million, but we go through thousands of diapers and had to buy a seven-seater automobile.”
The births come as a complete surprise to Gina and Olie because there is no family history of twins in either of their families.
Within just four months of each attempt, the twins were naturally conceived and delivered through C-section.
The two estimated that they have currently changed 5,550 diapers.
When Niamh and Esme grew older, Gina worried that Phoebe would be pushed out, but in reality, it has only strengthened our bond.
Because we don’t comprehend their relationship, Phoebe and I will always have each other while the twins have each other.
While Olie and I are standing there trying to figure out what Niamh and Esme are giggling at, they will chat to each other and then break out in fits of hysteria.
But, the other is the first to stand by their side and defend them if one of them is being picked on.
They are very close, and the boys will be too, I’m sure.
The best part of being a mother, she says, is seeing how much they enjoy and cherish one another.
“Even though the chances of winning the lottery aren’t all that much higher, I still think we’re luckier to have the family we do,” said the speaker.