My rare ‘simultaneous twins’ were born at the exact same time

They were in it to twin it — but both tied for firstborn.

Twins Molly and Micky McLaren, from North Lanarkshire, Scotland, are rare “simultaneous twins” born at exactly the same time.

At 11:53 on April 27, after over 12 hours of painful labor, doctors told mom Diane McLaren, 34, to push when they spotted a head crowning.

Everyone in the room was amazed when Micky came out head first and Molly came out feet first — simultaneously. Molly weighed 5-pounds, 4-ounces and Micky tipped the scales at 6-pounds, 11 ounces.

The babies are both 12 weeks old and doing well.

“They are the exact same age — I’m glad! I thought Micky was stuck. I gave a massive push and there was a big whoosh,” Diane, who is a mom of five, told South West News Service. 

“I thought I’d delivered my son, but the team were all huddled together and then the midwife said, ‘Both the babies are here now,’ ” she added. 

Diane said she was “a bit woozy” and didn’t quite understand what doctors meant about her twins’ unusual birth at the time.

“She said, ‘You have delivered them both at once. The foot belonged to your daughter,’” Diane recalled the doctor telling her. “She had somehow managed to turn herself breach and her foot came out the exact same time as his head.”

Also known as monoamniotic twins, the simultaneous phenomena occurs when a single fertilized egg results in identical twins that share a common placenta and amniotic sac. 

Monoamniotic twins are indeed highly uncommon, representing approximately 1% of identical twins and less than 0.15 of all pregnancies, according to experts at the Columbia University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Diane said the “hospital had never seen a birth like it,” and that her twins became local celebrities. 

“There were doctors and nurses coming from all over the hospital to meet the new famous twins because they had heard of how they entered the world and wanted to see them for themselves,” Diane said. 

When she went to register her twins’ birth she said the registry was “really shocked.” 

“They had to contact the hospital for confirmation before they could put on their birth certificates that they were born at the same time,” said Diane. 

Diane and her husband Daniel, 34, were so happy about having twins after losing another pregnancy in 2021. Diane, who was induced at 37 weeks at University Hospital Wishaw, said her labor was long, painful and frightening.

“I gave a big push because the midwife said she could see the boy’s head crowning – she remained very calm throughout which really helped,” said Diane. 

“I was very frightened because they were talking about whether it was his hand or his foot over his head, and I couldn’t understand why things didn’t seem to be going as expected,” she added.

Her husband — who witnessed the birth — also feared for the worst.

“When they were born everyone got such a fright. Poor Daniel said he just saw two babies flop onto the bed at once and thought the worst,” said Diane. 

“Molly had a very bruised foot and leg right up to her knee, and Micky was completely black in color from the neck up due to the position he had been stuck in with her foot pressed against him. But they were both absolutely fine,” she recalled. 

Even though it was a difficult labor, the pregnancy itself was much easier.

“It was such a massive shock to be expecting two but we were so delighted. We had been very nervous about the scan.

“The pregnancy itself was pretty great. I had no sickness or swelling, just the usual heartburn and some pain in my hips towards the end.”

Diane and Daniel are also parents to o Georgia, 10, Adam, 9, and Rory, 3.