Identical twin sisters give birth within minutes of each other in same Sunshine Coast maternity ward
Nicole Baillie with her son, Zavian, and Renee Baillie with her daughter, Ruby. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)
Identical twins Nicole and Renee Baillie have shared countless experiences throughout their lives, but giving birth in the same maternity ward within minutes of each other was not one they expected.
"We magically fell pregnant at the same time, which was crazy," Nicole said.
Two years ago, the sisters gave birth to their first daughters within six months.
This time, their due dates were a fortnight apart, but fate intervened on Thursday morning.
Zavian Dacy enjoying a nap with his close cousin Ruby Toole. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)
Nicole started having contractions first, and Renee went to her house to look after both of their young daughters.
Then Renee's waters broke.
"We all laughed. We were just in disbelief," Renee said.
Nicole's husband, Tom Dacy, took her to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital around 2am, but Renee stayed behind, believing she had more time.
"I was like, 'OK, I'm just going to have a little sleep and see if I wake up with anything happening'," she said.
Proud fathers Tom Dacy and Julius Toole with the new arrivals. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)
Race to the delivery room
Before long, Renee's contractions had intensified and she had to call her partner, Julius Toole, to come and get her.
"I didn't even have my hospital bag packed or anything," Renee said.
"I was trying not to have the baby in the car.
"Then we literally got into the doors and I stood up and grabbed onto my partner and said, 'The baby's here, the baby's here.'"
Their daughter, Ruby, arrived before her mother could even make it to the birthing suite.
Loading...Down the hall, Nicole was getting ready for her own delivery when she heard someone had just had a baby in the corridor.
"I knew that Renee was coming and I was like, 'What?'" Nicole said.
Nicole's son, Zavian, wasn't far behind.
"I had my baby 22 minutes later in the bath here, nice and calm," she said.
Closer than cousins
Newborns Ruby and Zavian already have plenty in common.
"They will be sharing a birthday, just like we have our whole lives," Nicole said.
The sisters with their mother Tracey McDonald, who was delighted to meet her new grandchildren. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)
And as their mums are identical twins, the babies will share more than just a party.
"We've got the same DNA, so they're half siblings," Renee said.
Proud grandmother Tracey McDonald had a feeling the births might coincide.
"I just said to my husband a couple of days ago, 'I reckon these girls are going to have them on the same day,' and yeah, sure enough," Ms McDonald said.
"We've got technically two sets of twins now, because we've got identical twins and then twin cousins."
Renee Baillie with midwife Nicola Hamilton, who also helped deliver the twins' daughters a few years ago. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)
Midwife Nicola Hamilton had joked about the possibility of a double birth with her co-workers before the babies arrived.
"We didn't think that Renee would have her baby before Nicole, it was a bit of a surprise," Ms Hamilton said.
"I have never seen it and I've been midwife for 18 years."
The twins are now looking forward to bringing their babies home and watching them grow up together.
"It's such a blessing — we've always had someone to just do life with," Renee said.
"I feel very grateful to be a twin and to have my little … partner in crime to do things with."
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