A mom in Alabama gave birth to her second set of identical twins last fall, less than two years after having her twin boys. Having twins happens in about one in 250 pregnancies. You've likely met a set of twins or two in your life, and it's a pretty cool thing, especially if they're identical. But you've probably never met twins quite like the Alba kids. The University of Alabama at Birmingham shared Britney and Frankie Alba's story earlier this week, and it's truly amazing.
Britney, an elementary school teacher from Tuscaloosa, gave birth to two sets of identical twins in less than two years, one set of boys and one set of girls. That is incredible, but the details of Britney's second twin pregnancy make it incredibly rare — it occurs in just 1% of births in the US each year.
Britney was shocked to be pregnant the second time.
According to UAB, Britney and Frankie's sons, Luka and Levi, were only 6 months old when she discovered she was expecting again. While initially shocked, the couple felt excitement and then concern.
Doctors informed the Albas that Britney was expecting monoamniotic-monochorionic twins. They shared the same placenta, amniotic sac, and fluid. MoMo twins are incredibly rare, and the mom's pregnancy is considered high-risk.
Doctors referred the Albas to UAB for treatment.
Because her pregnancy is so rare, it was important that Britney was under the best medical care she could have.
"While extremely rare, MoMo twin pregnancies have a high risk of fetal complications," said Rachel Sinkey, MD, assistant professor at UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "They share everything except umbilical cords, which can easily become entangled in a single sac. Unfortunately, there is a high rate of stillbirths associated with MoMo twins."
Doctors wanted to do everything they could to reduce the chance of complications in pregnancy and birth, so they recommended Britney be admitted to the UAB Women and Infants Center High-Risk Obstetrics Unit between 24 and 28 weeks.
Britney entered the hospital at 25 weeks pregnant.
Although it was difficult to leave home, the Albas knew that she needed to be at the hospital for the safety of her unborn babies.
"It was nerve-wracking to think about the journey ahead of me and being away from my boys for several weeks," Britney said in an interview with UAB. "But I knew I had a village at home and would be in great hands at UAB, which calmed my worries."
Britney received expert care for more than 50 days at UAB from several specialists. Because her pregnancy was so rare, medical students, residents, and fellows visited her as well.
"UAB is an academic research medical facility, and as a teacher, I wholeheartedly understand the importance of learning. Having had to take a step away from teaching during my pregnancy, it was nice still being part of the educational process," she said.
Lynlee and Lydia Alba were delivered safely last fall.
Britney gave birth to her twin girls on October 25, 2022. The girls were born at 32 weeks gestation and spent a little over a month in the hospital. They made it home just in time for the holidays. Rachel Sinkey said the twins were born at the national average gestation for MoMo twins because survival rates are high, and longer gestations are associated with fetal death or stillbirth due to cord entanglement.
"I had to spend a lot of time alone at UAB, but the HRO team took me in and became my family," Britney said. "It was not an easy journey, but we're lucky to have had the team and resources at UAB to get us through everything. Now that everyone is home, I feel very blessed and humbled to finally have my whole family home."
Another set of MoMo twins were born in Kansas weeks after the Alba girls.
Alijah McLaughlin gave birth to MoMo twins Wyleigh and Winnie on November 30, 2022, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas, near Kansas City, HCA Midwest Health reported. At her 25-week ultrasound, Alijah’s doctor discovered a life-threatening knot in the babies' umbilical cords. Alijah was immediately admitted to the hospital and gave birth to the girls six weeks later. The girls were born healthy and remained in the hospital until January.
"We are so grateful for the expert and compassionate care we've received at Overland Park Regional Medical Center," Alijah told HCA Midwest Health. "I've gone through some hard times throughout the pregnancy, especially being separated from my 3-year old Weston. However, both my husband and I have learned to be adaptable, patient and lean on our support system."
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