Sisters Gave Birth To Twins On Same Day And Babies Both Belong To Same Parents

Aug 23, 2021

Most parents would likely be excited to hear that they are set to have twins. Naturally, there is some added stress and uncertainly about the future, but also the doubling of joy and happiness in the family. Fraternal twins are conceived when a mother releases two eggs during the same cycle. Two different sperm fertilize these eggs. Identical twins are conceived from one egg and one sperm. So, identical twins share 100% of their DNA, but fraternal twins only share 50%.

Generally, women who undergo fertility treatment have a higher chance of conceiving twins according to Very Well Family, as well as women who have a family history of conceiving twins as multiples. There are many other factors that can determine if a woman will have twins such as height and weight as well. 

However, in a rare story that came from Lewis Center, Ohio in 2013, in a miraculous turn of events, a woman became pregnant with twins shortly after she asked her sister to become a surrogate for her. Amazingly, both sisters were pregnant with twins!  The parents, Annie and Joby Johnston, became parents to quadruplets after years of trying, and two of their babies were carried and delivered by Chrissy Knott, Annie's sister. 

This story has a beautiful ending for the Johnston family as both Annie and Joby were able to have their dream of becoming parents come true, and in the process, also experienced the deep sisterly love that Chrissy and Annie have for each other. It goes to show that miracles happen when we least expect them! 

ABC News reported that Annie and Joby decided to take a break from the in-vitro fertilization, surgeries and artificial insemination they'd gone through for five years to try to have a baby in February 2012. 

"We were tired of doing the same thing and expecting a different result," Annie, 34 at the time, said. "Chrissy was our different thing this time around." Chrissy was Annie's 37-year-old sister, who was married and had two children.

With some research, Chrissy found that she would be able to act as her sister's surrogate mother, an option which she offered to Annie and Joby. After some thought, the couple decided to take Chrissy up on her offer, and Chrissy was inseminated with Annie’s fertilized eggs. The news outlet reported that both Annie and Chrissy each got two embryos implanted. 

About this decision, Annie said, "The doctor made sure that everyone was OK with the possibility of four babies because it was possible. But, for us, after trying for so long, we were just trying to increase our chances of getting at least one."

Nine days after this procedure, both sisters found out that they were pregnant at the same time! They attended the 7-week ultrasound together, where both of them came to know that they were carrying twins, which meant that Joby and Annie were officially having quadruplets. 

"I was relieved, more than anything, that the babies were still developing," Annie said. "My husband, I think, was thinking more down the road of what we were going to do with four babies."

Annie and Chrissy are close, not just in their relationship but also proximity-wise as they only lived seven houses away from each other according to ABC News. When Annie and Chrissy's parents found out that both their girls were pregnant, they sold their home and bought one closer to their kids to help them raise their quadruplets. After all, four children are not easy to handle! 

On October 24, 2013, both sisters had a C-section scheduled so that all four children would be born on the same day. "My sister was carrying the two boys, and she delivered first, so I could be there in the room for her when she had them," Annie said, adding, "Two hours later, at 9:30 a.m., I delivered the girls."

All four kids were born healthy, and as seen in the video taken for the quadruplet's first birthday, the children were growing up beautifully as well! The boys were named Charles and Thomas, while the girls were named Grace and Hadley. Based on the update video, it looks like the whole family is close, and everyone pitches in to help each other take care of the energetic and lively kids. 

"We still can't believe it sometimes," Annie said after her children were born. She also had a few words for her sister's loving act. "We're very thankful for what she did for us," Annie about Chrissy. "We're very grateful and thankful that they're all here." Stories like these go to show the power of family and love, and the beauty of what can happen when families come together for the best! 

What do you think of this amazing childbirth story? Do you know any other miraculous stories of pregnancy? Let us know about them and be sure to let your family and friends in on this as well.