Giving birth to twins without using IVF is a pretty unusual occurrence. (According to Healthline, only 1 in 250 pregnancies results in twins naturally.) Of course, having two sets of twins in a lifetime is even more unusual. And having two sets of twins within the same year? Well, that puts you in a very small camp — one that Alexzandria Wolliston now belong to. The West Palm Beach, Florida, mom gave birth December 27 to twins Kaylen and Kayleb less than a year after welcoming her first set of twins, Mark and Malakhi, born March 13, 2019.
When Wolliston gave birth to her first set of twins last March, she was already a mom of one.
Her boys, Mark and Malakhi, joined big sister Ar’Mani, now 3, and quickly turned Wolliston's home into a busy place. After all, having three kids in such a short time frame is enough to throw any mom for a loop. But nothing could have prepared her for the news she received on Mother's Day 2019, when Wolliston learned she had not one but two more kiddos on the way — making her a mom of five in just under three years.
Needless to say, the shocking news initially overwhelmed the new mom.
"I wondered if my body could handle it since I just went through it," she told Good Morning America this week.
But as it turned out, her body coped just fine. Other than the boys' early arrival, Wolliston experienced no complications during her pregnancy.
Now, she says the twins are "a gift from heaven."
"I say I've won the twin lottery," Wolliston told 'Good Morning America.'
Indeed, she has.
Kaylen and Kayleb arrived just two days after Christmas, at 34 weeks. Just like their older brothers before them, the twins were born without the use of in vitro fertilization, which makes their conception all the more remarkable.
Like many twins born prematurely, Kaylen and Kayleb have had a bit of a rocky start.
Both boys spent time in the newborn intensive care unit following their birth. Although Kayleb was recently released, GMA reported that Kaylen remains there, and is still learning to eat on his own.
His mother is hopeful he'll return home this week, where the Wolliston fam will welcome him with open arms.
There's also something else that makes the twins' arrival so significant.
When asked whether twins run in her family, Wolliston told GMA that they do — but sadly, both of her grandmothers lost a pair of twins at birth. Needless to say, the arrival of Kaylen and Kayleb, and Mark and Malakhi, carries with it so much more meaning in light of those past sorrows.
“I always say that I feel like my grandmothers gave me their kids because two sets of twins and their twins passed away,” she told CNN. "I feel like they just sent them down for me."
Even so, the new mom is still in disbelief that this is her new reality.
"I was just thinking today, 'Is this really happening? Who has ever heard of this happening?'" Wolliston told GMA. "I'm just so amazed and grateful and thankful things turned out the way they did."
After being asked by friends and family whether donations would be accepted, Wolliston set up a GoFundMe account to help funnel their requests.
"I am grateful and thankful for any monetary gifts for my babies!" the mother wrote on the page. (And let's be real — considering the average child uses 2,700 diapers within the first year, that money will be well spent.)
