Rare twins born holding hands, just in time for Mother's Day


Jillian and Jenna Thistlethwaite made their entrance into this world holding hands. The Ohio twins were born Friday at Akron General Medical Center after having spent the past nine months sharing the same amniotic sac and placenta, The Associated Press reports. Monoamniotic, or "mono mono" twins, are rare, occurring in roughly 1 out of every 10,000 pregnancies.
The babies were put on ventilators shortly after birth, but were taken off of them Sunday when doctors established that they could breathe well on their own. Jenna, who weighs 4 pounds, 2 ounces, and Jillian, who came in at 3 pounds, 13 ounces, will remain in the hospital for two to four more weeks before heading home. "It's just hard to put into words how amazing it feels to know the girls are OK," their mother, Sarah Thistlethwaite, told The Associated Press. "It's great to know that they're doing so well, and being able to hold them." She added that having these new, healthy babies was "the best Mother's Day present ever."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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