ASK most twins and they’ll agree that they have an incredibly strong bond but just as many will agree they are still their own person.
However, for Renee and Nicole Baillie, being individuals is of little interest to them and it’s their similarities rather than their differences that makes them special.
The sisters, 33, from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, have dedicated their lives to doing everything together – including having babies at the same time – and sharing breastfeeding duties.
But while the identical sisters are joined at the hip now, when they came into the world they were easy to tell apart.
Speaking in this exclusive interview, Renee says: “When we were born, I was a breech birth.
“My tiny arm broke, making it easy for our mum Tracey-Ann and dad Noel to tell us apart.
“But as we grew we were like two little peas in a pod, wearing similar clothes and finishing each other’s sentences. Nicole was always the other part of me.
“Our close school mates could tell us apart. But we loved swapping classes to fool teachers. The one big difference was Nicole was Miss Organised.
“But it meant I never had to be – Nicole organised everything.”
As the pair left school, their lives remained in sync.
Both sporty, they found jobs in the fitness industry with Renee teaching spin and dance classes and Nicole teaching aerobics.
The pair also moved into homes that meant they were just 15 minutes apart with Renee’s partner Julius, 34 and Nicole’s partner Tom, 37, luckily ‘getting on like a house on fire.’
So when Nicole became pregnant in 2020, Renee was eager to follow suit.
“Nicole had given birth to Alara in May 2021, and I followed six months later in November with Lola,” she says.
“Our bubs were inseparable, just like us.”
And while most mums struggle on with breastfeeding alone, the two sisters were more than happy to help each other out in that department.
“Being so close we thought nothing of pulling out a boob and breastfeeding each other’s little ones,” Renee explains.
“To the kids, a boob was a boob.”
When it came to expanding their families further, the sisters weren’t about to change the habit of a lifetime.
“Now, the second time around, Nicole’s due date was January 24, just 10 days ahead of mine,” Renee explains.
“This January, as we waited for our babies to arrive, we got busy.
“I went over to scrub Nicole’s kitchen. Once it was spick and span we came back and scrubbed mine.
“But the babies took their time and, as February rolled in, we were soon both overdue.”
On the Wednesday after the pair celebrated their 33rd birthday Nicole went into labour with Renee heading over to her sister’s to take care of Alara.
It was meant to be that they were born the same day
Nicole Baillie
Renee says: “My husband warned me to pack my hospital bag just in case but I’d had no contractions and reassured him there was nothing to worry about.
“But later that night and I dozed on the sofa while Nicole bounced on an exercise ball, suddenly I felt something seeping.
“I realised my waters had broken and there was a chance our babies would have the same birthday.”
Nicole and Tom left for the Sunshine Coast University Hospital at 2am.
“Then suddenly, stabbing contractions started, and kept coming,” Renee says.
“I called Julius and asked him to come and get me urgently.
'It takes a village to raise a child', as the saying goes, and nursing another woman's child was once common practice.
But pediatrician Wendy Sue Swanson told Baby Center this age-old technique is best avoided in modern days.
“Any time your baby gets milk from another mom you are exposing him to the possibility of infection,” she explained.
HIV, herpes and hepatitis can all be passed through breast milk (although the risk with the latter is small), as well as yeast and bacterial infections and some common viruses.
“Leaving the kids with our grandparents Kay and Paul at Nicole’s, we raced back to our house so I could pack my hospital bag.”
Driven by her mum, the couple set up on the 40-minute drive to the hospital but Renee could feel her baby coming.
Renee says: “As Mum parked the car, Julius and I got through the doors of the hospital and suddenly I had a strong contraction.
“Then I felt our baby’s head
“Luckily, a lovely lady working in hospital pathology rushed over to help.
“With the next contraction, the baby slid out into her hands, and she passed her to a shocked Julius.”
Baby Lacy was a petite 8lbs with the couple giving her Ann as a middle name, after the woman who helped them and Renee’s mum’s middle name.
Renee’s midwife told her that Nicole had her baby Zavian, weighing 3855g, just 22 minutes later.
“When I saw Nicole a few hours later in her room, we were both shrieking with joy,” she says.
“In fact, as Nicole and I share the same DNA, genetically, our babies are not only cousins, but also half siblings.
“Mine and Nicole’s DNA is 100% the same meaning the only difference in DNA comes from their dads.
“We’d both love to have more children.
“And who knows, with sets of identical twins on Mum’s side, the next time we might even have twins ourselves.
“But for now we’re just happy with our gorgeous bubs.”
Nicole says: “As I was getting into the birthing bath, my midwife said someone had a baby in the corridor. Bet it’s Renee, I thought.
“Then her midwife and Julius walked past saying they’d had the baby.
“After a calm water birth, little Zavian arrived at 6.07am – nothing crazy like Renee’s birth.
“It was meant to be that they were born the same day.”
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