The odds of having two sets of identical twins are pretty low, but a Louisiana couple found themselves among the rare few.
Some years ago, Erin and Jake Credo welcomed twin boys into their family. It took a little help to get pregnant, but the process was well worth it. Cooper and Grant are phenomenal kids. When it came to having more, the couple was unsure of whether they wanted to.
But fate had something else in store for the family. Erin didn't think she could get pregnant without help, so when she got the news she was expecting, she was surprised.
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Surprise turned to complete shock when a sonogram revealed Erin was expecting another set of twins. She sent the ultrasound photo to Jake, who was confused as to why she was sending a picture of their sons' from years ago.
"Nope. Round two," she replied. So began the wild ride that has brought them from a family of four to a family of six.
The Louisiana couple has an unforgettable story about how their little family came to be. Six years ago, Erin and Jake were having some trouble getting pregnant. With a little help, they were able to conceive and welcomed twin boys, Cooper and Grant.
Now that the boys are 6 years old, Erin and Jake threw around the idea of adding to the family.
"We were kind of on the fence about having more because I didn't want to go through that again," Erin told Today. "I never in my life thought I'd have four kids. I'm still in disbelief."
Life had some surprises in store. Erin found out she was pregnant, which was a shock in itself after her last fertility journey. Then, she went in for an ultrasound on March 24 that would change her life forever.
"I hurried up and found a doctor, and I know her nurse thought I was absolutely crazy because I was, like, 'You don't understand: I need an ultrasound or some blood work or something,'" she said. "I need somebody to tell me this is one baby."
As fate would have it, it was not.
"When I had my ultrasound, I didn't even know what to say. I texted a picture of the ultrasound to my husband, and he said, 'Is that the boys?'"
"Nope. Round two," she replied.
"He was, like, 'Oh, my God.' Obviously, we were excited. We've done it before. Having twins, it's all we know."
Dr. Cliff Moore oversaw Erin's pregnancy. He explained just how rare their case is.
"Only about 1 in 111,111 pregnancies results in a second set of identical twins," he explained.
"To put that in perspective, we deliver approximately 8,000 babies at Woman's Hospital each year, so we'd only see that about once every 15 years."
There were some rough patches in the pregnancy. The entire family contracted COVID-19 in August. Thankfully, their cases were mild.
"The biggest concern they had was any respiratory issues I might be having," Erin explained.
"The shortness of breath was probably the most frustrating part of having COVID, because at what point does that shortness of breath cause concern? So, I just stayed in touch with my doctors constantly and kind of explained how I was feeling. Thankfully, we didn't have any major issues that would have exacerbated the situation. We were really blessed."
Erin and Jake welcomed their baby girls on September 22, at 32 weeks. They named the identical twin girls Lola and Allie. They remained in the NICU until Tuesday when they were able to meet their big brothers and go home.
For now, the couple has different colored nail polish on each of the girls to tell them apart. Erin is excited to see how their bond develops.
"Cooper and Grant are always snuggling. The other day Grant fell asleep in our bed and Cooper gave him a kiss on the forehead," Erin gushed.
"The bond between identical twins is unlike any other connection."
"Now is when the zoo and the fun begins of having two sets of very, very special twins," Erin joked to WAFB. "Round two, here we go. I need to go buy a lottery ticket now."
