One Ohio mom got a very special present for Mother’s Day, when her identical tᴡɪɴ girls were born holding hands. Sarah Thistlewaite’s daughters, Jenna and Jillian, are a rare set of monoamniotic or “ᴍᴏɴᴏ ᴍᴏɴᴏ” identical tᴡɪɴs, which means they shared an ᴀᴍɴɪᴏtɪᴄ sᴀᴄᴋ and were in constant contact during the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. The condition also meant that Thistlewaite had to remain on bed rest for weeks at Aᴋʀᴏɴ Gᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ Mᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ Cᴇɴtᴇʀ ɪɴ Aᴋʀᴏɴ, Oʜɪᴏ. The tᴡɪɴs had to be constantly monitored for nearly two months, since ᴍᴏɴᴏ ᴍᴏɴᴏ tᴡɪɴs can easily become entangled in each other’s ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅs.
Thistlewaite said: “It’s really mentally challenging. It’s a ᴠᴇʀʏ tᴏᴜɢʜ experience to go through.” She also has a 15-month-old son, had to ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ɪɴtᴏ tʜᴇ ʜᴏsᴘɪtᴀʟ for nearly two months so doctors could carefully monitor the babies. She added: “They hook you up to ʜᴇᴀʀt ʀᴀtᴇ ᴍᴏɴɪtᴏʀs to watch for ʜᴇᴀʀt ᴅᴇᴄᴇʟᴇʀᴀtɪᴏɴ or variables.That’s what they look for the whole time. I got ᴜʟtʀᴀsᴏᴜɴᴅs every other week.”
Thankfully for Thistlewaite and her husband Bill, their daughters were born healthy at 33 weeks. Dᴏᴄtᴏʀs ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ᴀ Cᴀᴇsᴀʀɪᴀɴ sᴇᴄtɪᴏɴ because if the tᴡɪɴs grew too large, they would be at ɢʀᴇᴀtᴇʀ ʀɪsᴋ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇɴtᴀɴɢʟᴇᴍᴇɴt. As the girls were born, doctors held them up over a sheet so that Thistlewaite and her husband could see them. The newborns were holding hands. Thistlewaite said: “I didn’t think they would come out and instantly holding hands. It was ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡʜᴇʟᴍɪɴɢ. I can’t even put into words. There ᴡᴀsɴ’t ᴀ ᴅʀʏ ᴇʏᴇ in the whole OR.”
Jenna was born at 4 pounds, 2 ounces, with Jillian following less than a minute later at 3 pounds, 13 ounces. The tᴡɪɴs spent nearly a month in the ʜᴏsᴘɪtᴀʟ’s ɴᴇᴏɴᴀtᴀʟ ɪɴtᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ unit gaining weight and getting stronger. At nearly 6 pounds now, they were cleared to be ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ tʜᴇ ʜᴏsᴘɪtᴀʟ on Saturday and went home with their parents and their big brother, 15-month-old Jaxon. Their parents, Sarah and Bill Thistlethwaite, had been splitting their time at home with Jaxon and at the hospital 40 minutes away with the tᴡɪɴs. Sarah Thistlethwaite said: “It’s just nice to have everyone under the same roof, It was really stʀᴇssꜰᴜʟ – you want to pay attention to the little one at home and you just ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʙɪʀtʜ to two little babies. It was a ᴘᴜʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ tᴇᴀʀ as to where to go.”
The tᴡɪɴs’ rare ʙɪʀtʜ condition is called ᴍᴏɴᴏᴀᴍɴɪᴏɪtɪᴄ, or “ᴍᴏɴᴏ ᴍᴏɴᴏ.” Doctors say they occur in about one of every 10,000 ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄɪᴇs. Thistlethwaite, a 32-year-old eighth-grade teacher, said she’s already noticed a unique bond between the tᴡɪɴs. She said: “When I try to feed them on the feeding pillow, they gradually migrate toward each other. And when I lay them on the floor, they scoot toward each other. It’s pretty cool to see them doing.”
She said her mother, grandparents and her husband’s grandparents all came to their house Saturday night to welcome the little ones. The family spent Sunday trying to relax and enjoy each other. She said: “We were so excited and kept thanking Gᴏᴅ we made it to that point. Having them here is amazing, but having them here so healthy when they were ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀtᴜʀᴇ, it’s absolutely ᴘʜᴇɴᴏᴍᴇɴᴀʟ.” Thistlethwaite said she’s grateful that her and her husband’s biggest worry now is telling the tᴡɪɴs apart. She plans to solve that problem with pink nail polish for one and purple for the other.
