Despite being born just 15 minutes apart, a pair of Salinas, California twins will have separate birthdays - and separate birth years.
Mother Fatima Madrigal gave birth to her son Alfredo at 11:45pm on New Year's Eve with his younger sister Aylin born right after midnight on New Year's Day. The family doctor, Dr. Ana Abril Arias, at Navidad Medical Center called it "one of the most memorable deliveries of my career". The Facebook page for the medical center writes:
Natividad is excited to announce we welcomed Monterey County’s first baby of 2022! Greenfield twins Aylin and Alfredo Trujillo were born just 15 minutes apart, but what makes their birth so rare is that they were born on different days, months and years.
Aylin Yolanda Trujillo entered the world exactly at midnight on Saturday, Jan. 1, making her the first baby born at Natividad Medical Center and in Monterey County in 2022. Her twin brother, Alfredo Antonio Trujillo, delivered first at 11:45 pm on Dec. 31, 2021.
Aylin weighed in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces, while big brother Alfredo weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce.
There are about 120,000 twin births in the U.S. every year, making up just over 3% of all births. However, twins with different birthdays are rare, and some estimate the chance of twins being born in different years as one in 2 million.
Proud mom Fatima Madrigal says, "It’s crazy to me that they are twins and have different birthdays... I was surprised and happy that she arrived at midnight.”
“It was an absolute pleasure to help these little ones arrive here safely in 2021 and 2022. What an amazing way to start the New Year!," says Dr. Ana Abril Arias.