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No matter how joyous their arrival may be, having twins is a handful. Two handfuls, in fact. So I'm sure you can only imagine how one couple felt when they heard the news that they were pregnant with twins, six months after welcoming twins.
That is a lot of babies.
Britney and Frankie Alba, from Alabama, welcomed their two first children, identical twin brothers Levi and Luka, in 2021.
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But it was after only six months of parenting practise that the pair found out they were pregnant again, meaning their family would be rapidly expanding from a family of two to a family of six within two years.
The couple were stunned when they found out that they'd be welcoming two more children, with Frankie admitting they were 'speechless' when the ultrasound technician highlighted the second baby in the womb.
Britney's second pregnancy was a rare one, with the two babies known as monoamniotic-monochorionic twins, or 'MoMo' or 'Mono Mono' twins.
MoMo twins share the same placenta and amitotic sac in the womb, resulting in a high-risk pregnancy which is only found in 1 in 35,000-to-1 in 60,000 pregnancies in the United States.
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“Concern set in. We realised it wasn’t just another set of twins, but a high-risk pregnancy,” Britney told WBRC.
MoMo twins can develop a risk for cord entanglement at 24 weeks, which may result in a stillbirth. As a precaution, Britney was checked into the hospital when she was 24 weeks pregnant to allow doctors to better monitor her progress.
She spent 50 days in hospital, with Frankie admitting it was a 'very challenging time' for the couple, but one that was 'definitely worth it'.
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Britney delivered the twins at 32 weeks via Caesarean-section in October 2022, officially welcoming identical twins Lydia and Lynlee into the world.
The baby girls spent some time in the hospital after their birth, but are now home with their family.
“After all that time in the hospital, it didn’t seem real, like it was actually going to happen. And then when it actually happened and we were all home, it was surreal,” Britney said.
The couple expressed thanks for their faith, community and families for their support throughout the pregnancy, and though they've now got a lot of fingers and toes to deal with, Frankie assured they're one big happy family.
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“We love it, we love the time with our family, and we cherish every moment,” he said.
Emily Brown