Identical twin sisters give birth to daughters on same night, less than two hours apart

Bao Nhia Julia Yang and Bao Kou Julie Yang are identical twins who grew up doing everything together, and now they have one more milestone to add to that list — giving birth to their daughters less than two hours apart on Sunday night.

The sisters say they didn’t even plan to be pregnant at the same time. “I found out I was pregnant first and then I told her,” Bao Kou told local ABC affiliate KFSN. “She told me she might be pregnant too.” Though their due dates were two days apart, fate intervened when the sisters went into labor at the same time on Sunday in Fresno, Calif.

Bao Kou, the younger of the twins by six minutes, went into labor first, according to CNN affiliate KPGE. “I started spotting, so I think I knew that I was going to be in labor. And then I told her, and she was like, ‘I’m having pain here and there too. I might be in there with you too,’” Bao Kou says in a video interview. She gave birth to a 7-pound daughter, Nadalie Xiong, at 6:59 p.m. at Community Regional Medical Center.

Nearly two hours later, baby Nadalie’s cousin was eager to come into the world, as mom Bao Nhia delivered her baby girl at 8:48 p.m. Candra Thao was 7 pounds, 3 ounces at birth — “Almost the same,” Bao Kou says with a smile. The sisters call the coincidence “a miracle” — especially since Bao Kou had struggled to become pregnant.

Laura Schleicher, a nurse who helped deliver both babies, told KPGE that in her 18 years working at Community Regional Medical Center, she’d never witnessed twins give birth on the same day. “All I did was deliver them. I didn’t facilitate it or make it happen in any way. They just had great timing, very unique timing,” Schleicher said.

The Yang sisters talked about their lifelong connection, telling the Fresno Bee they were so close as children that they would cry when separated, and when they would get sick, they’d get sick together. They have shared a lot in their 23 years, “like dresses and pants and T-shirts” — but they’ve also shared all the same friends. While pregnant, they had the same cravings — sour and spicy foods — and after giving birth they even opted to stay in the same hospital room. Now they have one more thing to share — their babies’ birthday, just like they share their own.

Of course, the sisters plan for their daughters to be raised almost as if they were twins too. “They’re going to be playing around together, seeing each other,” they told the Fresno Bee.

Although identical twins giving birth together is a rare occurrence, it actually happened less than two months ago when twin sisters Jalynne April Crawford and Janelle Ann Leopoldo — who live in separate states — gave birth to sons in September after they both struggled with infertility.

More more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Baby named after KFC’s Colonel Sanders to get $11,000 payout

• 3 sisters are having babies at the same time: ‘It’s a blessing’

• Professor holds baby in class after student couldn’t find childcare

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