At the age of just 21, Annie Gladstone of Farnborough, Hampshire, beat the odds of more than 700,000 to 1 to become the youngest mother to bear twins in the UK. She gave birth to her first pair at the age of 17, and after giving birth to healthy baby girls the second time, she can now claim a record. Since neither of their respective families had a history of twins, Gladstone and her 26-year-old fiancé Rich Porter were unable to understand their exceptional fertility when they spontaneously conceived both sets.
The mum turned 22 just two weeks after non-ɪdentical twins Georgie, 5 lbs. and Frankiee, 5 lbs 4oz, were born 5 minutes apart on September 10. It makes Ms Gladstone the youngest woman in the UK to have consecutive twins. The Royal College of Midwives said it had never heard of anyone in the country having two sets of twins in a row at such an early age. It’s much rarer than a couple giving birth individually. “We calculated the odds to be more than 700,000 to one,” Gladstone said. “It’s clearly a record I never set out to achieve. I feel really lucky that my family has made it to the top. completely at such a young age.”
Gladstone has always wanted another baby after giving birth to her first pair of Lillie, 5 lbs 3oz, and Jayden, 5 lbs 13oz. But the couple’s joy turned to sʜᴏᴄᴋ when they had a 12-week ultrasound and were told they were expecting two new arrivals.
She said: “The sʜock will last forever. Rich is white and his jaw is banging on the floor. But now that they’re here at last, I wouldn’t change them for the world. I braced myself for total chaos when I had four kids under the age of four, but luckily they were all well behaved – most of the time. Having twins before has really helped because I know what to expect the second.” The healthy newcomers, like their siblings who are not identical twins, were born 5 minutes apart after a very short labor.
Gladstone said: “The labor was so quick – just over an hour. As soon as I saw them I was absolutely in love. Both are absolutely gorgeous. Frankiee looks like Rich and Georgie looks like me. The midwife told us that since I’ve done it twice, we have a 50% chance of having twins again. I know there’s nothing wrong with us, we just might be a little super obese.”
Jacque Gerrard, director of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “I have been a midwife for over 30 years and have never seen anyone at such a young age have twins in succession like this one. As a mother of twins myself, I know what she’s going through and I wish her all the best.” The family’s busy routine is that she wears at least 20 diapers a day and washes them at least twice. “I have to follow a very structured daily routine or I’ll never get anything done. We all get up before 5:45 a.m. most mornings,” says Gladstone.
Lillie and Jayden played while I braced myself and then I showered and dressed all four of us, which took about an hour. At 7 a.m. I prepare breakfast for Lillie and Jayden and while they eat, I feed the twins. When everyone’s done, I clean up the kitchen, sterilize the baby bottles, and wash them. At 8:30 a.m., the oldest two are ready with their coats, shoes, bags, and packed lunches ready to go to kindergarten. After that, I stayed home alone with the girls while Rich went to work. Babies feed every three hours, so a 900g can of milk could last us for just three days. It’s a bit crazy, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
