By Allan Olingo
Twin sisters share many experiences but not many give birth the same day. But that’s exactly what happened to 24-year-olds Zaakira Mitchell and Shaakira White of Columbia, USA.
When White entered Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital in Columbia on July 24, she was simply accompanying her twin sister and getting a check-up, or so she thought. After all, White’s due date was August 16.
Mitchell’s due date, on the other hand, was July 26. She decided to be induced a few days early. But no one anticipated what happened next.
Contractions
During White’s check-up, she told the physician David Ferguson that she had felt contractions that morning and he checked to make sure she wasn’t entering labour early.
He discovered that she was already five to six centimetres dilated, so he started preparing White for a Caesarean section.
Mitchell had a baby boy, Kadin. Once Dr Ferguson knew that Mitchell was healthy and stable, he attended to White.
According to WLTX, White gave birth to twins, Landon and London, one hour later. Dr Ferguson was understandably surprised by the timing.
“I’ve never actually seen twins pregnant at the same time, leave alone delivering on the same day,” he told ABC News.
For Mitchell and White, the experience of giving birth was even more meaningful because they did it together.
“She’s like my best friend. So for us to share this, that was really special and emotional,” Mitchell said.
In December last year, another set of twin sisters gave birth to their first children just minutes apart in the same hospital. And they both had boys.
Danielle and Nicole Fisher, 23, from New Jersey, USA, were in adjacent rooms when they gave birth just minutes apart.
According to Daily Mail, the sisters, who were born within 12 minutes of each other, insisted they had not planned to get pregnant at the same time.
