The arrival of twins is often received with so much joy by families who regard it as a blessing. The birth of two offspring from the same pregnancy is a relatively uncommon phenomenon, and, as such, twins are often regarded as special. In Brooklyn, New York, a couple is turning heads after having given birth to three sets of twins.
In five years, Jolene McKee and her husband Andrew have had six babies. They recently became a family of eight after having their third set of twins, Aiden and Jaiden, who are currently three months old. Jolene, 32, said having six children from three pregnancies is a blessing. They now have Peyton and Paige, five, Andrew and Abigail, three, as well as their third set of twins, Aiden and Jaiden, Metro reported.
“I never envisioned myself with a big family. I thought I’d only have maybe one or two kids. But it is such a blessing that I have had six babies from just three pregnancies,” Jolene said, according to Metro.
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“When I discovered I was pregnant with twins for the third time, I just fully accepted that this must be what I was appointed to do.”
But it wasn’t easy for Jolene and Andrew from the start. Before giving birth to her first set of twins, Jolene suffered a miscarriage. Three months later, she realized she was pregnant again. She said she was scared to go to the doctor for the scan after the pain she felt through miscarriage. Eventually, she did go for the scan.
“I was panicking the whole time because they were taking so long and they called someone else in the room. And then they told me I was expecting twins. I couldn’t believe it. It was beautiful.”
Two years after having Peyton and Paige, Jolene was pregnant again. She discovered for the second time that she was pregnant with twins. The third time she got pregnant, she said she was 100 percent sure it couldn’t be another set of twins. “So when we found out it was twins for the third time we were in shock and the doctor was just as shocked as us. He said that in 25 years he had never seen a woman have three sets of twins,” Jolene recalled.
Even though all of her pregnancies went really smoothly, Jolene said it was very different the second and third time around being pregnant as she was an active mom. “But I just had to push through,” she said.
Generally, twins run in families, implying that the chance of having them is partly determined by one’s genes, though older women also bear more twins. In recent years, it has been disclosed that one’s diet may also play a role in having twins. Jolene explained that she had so many sets of twins because of an overactive uterus which she said causes her to drop two eggs at a time.
“I just accepted that this is what was meant for me and I love it. Each child has their own different personalities and although they’re twins they each have their own little buddies.”
Jolene said even though it is tough having six kids, it is great to watch them grow and progress. And because she and Andrew are young, people get shocked to know that all the children they are found with are theirs. “They don’t understand how we can have so many kids and when we explain the story they are in disbelief. They find it fascinating,” Jolene said.
Worldwide, the birth rate of twins varies by region and country. Latin America and Southeast Asia have the lowest rates, with only about nine sets of twins per every 1,000 births. In Europe, the figure is about 16 twins for every 1,000 births, and in the United States, it is about 33 for every 1,000 births.
In central Africa, that number rises to around 18 to 30 sets of twins for every 1,000 births. However, the Yoruba people of southwest Nigeria boast the highest number of twin births in the world, with about 50 sets of twins for every 1,000 live births.
