Mom Gets Pregnant While Pregnant And Gives Birth To Twins Of Different Ages

By: Olawale Ogunjimi | Last updated: Nov 13, 2023

A YouTuber was walking through a suburb of Wiltshire where he interviewed random residents on the street for his channel. However, the burb was not very keen on the idea. But Lady Luck must have been, as he chanced on the Roberts family, who were with their twins and gave him probably the most interesting story you will read today. 

According to Roberts, the babies were indeed twins, but of different ages. Read on to know more about this astonishing tale.

The Tale of the Two C(u)ties

Lewin had his jaw drop as the Roberts recounted the story of their miracle babies. Rebecca Roberts and Rhys Weaver had been trying for a baby together for quite some time. It wasn’t until around the first COVID lockdown that they finally saw a ray of light.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

The duo was beyond happy when the pregnancy test returned positive. The excitement of expecting a new baby made them visit the hospital soon after.

First Pictures Are In!

After conception, Rebecca Roberts and her husband were as careful as possible. They took all precautions when visiting the hospital to avoid contracting COVID. 

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

About seven weeks into the pregnancy, the Roberts had to have their first ultrasound. The image was blurry and unclear. Nevertheless, they were overjoyed to see the small mass that was their growing baby. The technician in charge of the ultrasound informed them that everything about the baby looked normal, the final cherry on top.

The Dizzying Highs And Lows of Pregnancy

After arriving home, the couple enjoyed a small family party. They prepared special dishes and invited a couple of friends. This was a notable milestone for the family, and the cheer was contagious.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

The Roberts’ joy did not just come from expecting their first child together. They also simply trusted that everything would proceed seamlessly. Unfortunately, this joy was short-lived. The next visit to the hospital saw a change in the narrative.

Same Trip, Different Story

The Roberts’ had another appointment at the hospital five weeks after the first ultrasound. Rhys Weaver was also there for support and to see how the baby was developing. Similar to the first time, Rebecca had another ultrasound. 

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

She naturally expected things to remain the same – albeit with the baby getting bigger. Mrs. Roberts couldn’t see the screen as the ultrasound was taking place. To gather some clues, she looked at the sonographer’s face and instantly sensed that something was off.

A Confusing Conundrum

Initially, the person running the ultrasound equipment was beyond surprised. She had run Mrs. Roberts’s test some weeks ago and had found just one healthy fetus.

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

However, to her surprise, there were two babies on the ultrasound screen. The first was the 17-week-old fetus, and now there was a second! The new baby was smaller and seemed to have started growing barely a week before. The sonographer took snapshots of the ultrasound and sent them to the hospital specialist.

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An Obstetrician Consult Needed – Stat!

The result of Mrs. Roberts’ second ultrasound was sent to an obstetrician or medical specialists that are experts on everything pregnancy related. They are consultants on childbirth and whatever complications may arise from them.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

The doctor proceeded to ask Mrs. Roberts if she was aware of carrying twins in her womb. The Roberts were dumbfounded and could only ask, “How so?” She had a single baby in her womb just a few weeks ago!

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Learning A New Medical Term

The obstetrician proceeded to explain to the couple that a woman can get pregnant during pregnancy. She told them that it was a rare condition called Superfetation. The occurrence is so unlikely that it has been reported only a couple of times since the word was coined.

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The Roberts were quick to ask questions that burdened their hearts. “Are the babies safe? Is there any likelihood of complications for them or Mrs. Roberts?” among many others.

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What DOES Happen When You Are Pregnant?

Mrs. Cashmire examined the images of the babies on the ultrasound result. She could tell the first baby was three weeks older than the other based on the date of the first ultrasound.

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A mature woman’s body halts the production of eggs right after getting pregnant, thus preventing another egg from becoming fertilized. For regular twins, two eggs are released and fertilized simultaneously. Hence, they are usually of the same age.

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The Exception To The Rule

It is one thing to understand a medical condition and another to know how it came about. Mrs. Cashmire was the first person to inform the Roberts that Rebecca’s condition is called superfetation. Although, she could not outrightly tell how it happened. Superfetations are rare and far removed from normalcy.

Source: Rebecca Roberts/YouTube

Mrs. Cashmire proceeded to confide in some of her colleagues. She needed to shed some light on the situation. On the other hand, the Roberts proceeded with personal research.

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Not Your Typical Pregnancy

Pregnancy is often a season of life that most couples welcome with joy and gladness. However, the Roberts found themselves swimming in a pool of uncertainty. Some of the medical experts were skeptical about what will come of the pregnancy.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

They had already waited many years, trying various fertility treatments to have a child together. And now, when they finally were, they could not even decide if it was good news or bad, as it was speculated that there may be the possibility of losing both babies. 

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What Are The Causes Of Superfetation?

Mrs. Cashmire and other experts like her identified some causes of superfetation. One is a hormonal disorder induced by medication. Another is chromosomal alteration, or maybe a virus attack.

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

Above all, the most concerning thing about the twins was the considerable difference in their sizes. With a gap of about three weeks of conception, avoiding birth complications was quite unlikely. 

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The Strongest Force In Nature

It took a while before Roberts settled into the incoming reality. Superfetation is a very rare case with potential complications. Still, the couple was hopeful they would have a set of healthy twins. 

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Rather than moping around about their predicament, they chose the path of optimism. Roberts acknowledged that anxiety seldom makes any situation better. 

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The Reception Plan Continues

The couple agreed to exercise faith that things would turn out well for the two babies. Rebecca and her husband continued to prepare for the birth of their twins. Ultrasound revealed that the two babies were growing at a healthy rate. Still, it was obvious that one would be considerably smaller than the other right after birth.

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

So, while shopping for baby apparel, the couple was mindful of their significant age and size difference.

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D-Day Inching Closer

These special babies were growing comfortably in their mother’s womb. However, the outcome of their birth remained unpredictable. Doctors told the Roberts to “hope for the best and expect the worst.”

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According to them, even normal and healthy pregnancies suffer complications. So, everyone involved could only keep their fingers crossed. The time of delivery was the most crucial moment. The experts monitored Rebecca closely to prevent premature delivery.

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Early Labor May Spell Doom

Several factors can trigger labor in a pregnant woman, and one of them is stress. Rebecca got special attention as she came closer to the due time. She got domestic support from family members and a caregiver as well.

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The smaller twin was three weeks late. Consequently, going into labor too early could mean trouble. So, doctors had a special timetable for Rebecca. They mapped out a personalized timeframe down to the very last detail that would make the delivery safe.

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The Darkest Hour

All precautions to avoid premature labor were duly observed. However, a random check at the hospital caused a change of plans. Rebecca was 33 weeks into the pregnancy, and the smaller baby was found to be at risk.

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During the checkup, a defect was discovered in the smaller baby’s umbilical cord. This discovery made the doctors decide to proceed with an elective emergency delivery. If not, the smaller baby would have been lost.

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Freedom At Last!

It was a huge relief for Rebecca after she delivered the babies. Doctors had to perform a C-section for the safe delivery of the smaller baby. The Roberts named the bigger twin, a boy, Noah, and the smaller, a girl, Rosalie. 

Source: SWNS

At birth, Noah weighed a whooping 4 pounds and 10 ounces, while his relatively smaller sister weighed 2 pounds, 7 ounces.

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Noah And Rosie Lounge At The Hospital

Like any new parent, the Roberts were overjoyed that the twins were delivered safely. However, they met yet another roadblock on the way. Since the delivery was carried out before the due date, the two babies had to be monitored closely in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

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Since Noah was only a few weeks short of the due date, he spent three weeks at the hospital, while Rosie ended up spending a little over three months.

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Filial Love Is Hard To Break

During these three months of stay in the hospital, the Roberts cleared up their calendar to create enough time for their babies. They made it a point to visit the hospital every day. 

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

It was an eager wait as the Roberts watched their babies grow stronger in the hospital’s incubators. By the time Rosie was also ready to go home, Christmas was already knocking at the door.

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Child-Rearing In the Middle Of A Pandemic

When the twins finally arrived home, the first phase of the COVID lockdown was already in full force.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

So, it was nothing short of a magic trick to actively juggle between taking care of new, fragile babies and navigating the COVID restrictions. While it was necessary to get adequate supplies for Noah and Rosie, the two parents had to be careful not to transfer the virus to their kids.

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Explaining The Enigma Of Twins With Different Ages

Remember Malcolm Lewin from the beginning of this story? He was among the first set of people that met the twins and their parents after they’d become strong enough to go out. Like every other person who saw Noah and Rosie, Lewin couldn’t help but ask for more details about the twin’s different ages.

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

It was no trouble for Weaver and Rebecca Roberts to explain their pregnancy journey to Lewin and anyone who cared to ask. It was probably due to the excitement of having their first babies.

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Competitive Growth After Birth

Unlike what played out while the twins were in the womb, Rosie was growing quite fast after birth. Yes, it is true that Noah was much bigger than Rosie and that they were always in different phases of development. Despite it all, Rosie was keeping up a healthy pace.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

As the twins grew older and shared things in common, their bond grew stronger by the day.

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Story Of This Superb Superfetation

Malcolm Lewin compelled the Roberts to tell their story to the world. So, Weaver and Rebecca chose Instagram as the family’s global platform. 

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

They created an Instagram page called roberts.supertwins where the Roberts shared updates on the twins’ growth and development. Their Instagram account is still active and features both old and new pictures. You’ll find content that looks like a timelapse of the ultrasound scans to the eight months plus of pregnancy and birth.

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How A Couple Of Babies Became An Internet Sensation

Malcolm Lewin, being a YouTuber himself, understood the power of social media. It took his little nudging to get the Roberts intentional about telling their story. The couple probably signed up on Instagram reluctantly and expected just a few followers.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

However, the account now has a whopping 101K followers, while some pictures have millions of views.

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Becoming Beacons Of Light

When the Instagram page just kicked off, the Roberts were surprised at the rapid momentum it gathered. Soon, it became easy for them to figure out some of the reasons for their rapid rise in Instagram followers.

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

From the get-go, they were receiving random DMs on the page. Some told Weaver and Rebecca how their story has made their followers going through similar challenges keep hope alive. Others left comments on pictures of the twins, indicating that they were inspired.

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Yet Another Bundle of Joy

By 2021, the Roberts applied the gas pedal to their life journey again and were positively cruising. One would have thought that the couple would give all things pregnancy-related a rest after their confounding experience with the twins’ birth.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

But Rebecca and Weaver soon announced their new pregnancy on their Instagram page, 29 weeks in. They were prepared this time and took all precautions by taking multiple ultrasound tests just to make sure they were not expecting another set of twins.

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And He Shall Be Called George!

The new baby was named George right after his birth. Summer Roberts, Weaver’s teenage stepdaughter, was super happy to have yet another sibling. Noah and Rosie were just a little over a year when George arrived.

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

When the twins played with their younger sibling, it was easy to see they were excited about their newly arrived compatriot. 

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A Worthy And Rare Story To Tell

Records from medical publications have indicated that less than ten individuals have birthed superfetated twins in the past few centuries. By implication, the Roberts are by no means showing off but telling a story that needs to be heard.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

Comments on some of their Instagram posts that explained superfetation go a long way to show that many people have never heard of the medical condition. 

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A Tale That Never Gets Old

The Roberts have never grown tired of telling the story of their superfetated twins. After meeting the twins and hearing that they are of different ages, new acquaintances of the family cough out a list of questions to understand how that can be possible.

Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

Weaver and Rebecca are already accustomed to fielding such questions during their twins’ birthdays.

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Hello, Happily Ever After!

It is true that life is not a bed of roses, as the Roberts can clearly testify. However, the entire family is having the time of their lives.

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Source: roberts.supertwins/Instagram

Noah and Rosie cannot get enough of George, and their parents never get bored of watching their children bond. But the best part of this entire story is watching a beautiful family grow from struggling to conceive to now having a house full of love and laughter. Here’s wishing them only more of that and then some more. 

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