These twins were born in different years

Twins. They look alike and act alike, and they almost always argue about who’s older. But one set of twins will never have to have that argument. On New Year’s Eve, a woman in California gave birth to twins in two different years.

Maria Flores gave birth to her son Joaquin Ontiveros shortly before midnight on December 31st, 2017. Her daughter Aitana Ontiveros came into the world 18 minutes later on January 1st, 2018. So, although the two babies shared a womb for nine months, they will technically have different birthdays.

Doctor Seyed Tamjidi, who delivered the babies at Delano Regional Medical Center, told Fox 58 that in 35 years he has never seen twins born in different years.

Flores was scheduled to have a C-section on January 10th, so the birth of Joaquin and Aitana came as an early surprise. The hospital staff told the local Fox station that, in Kern County, California, Joaquin was the last baby born in 2017 and Aitana was the first baby born in 2018.

Three other babies were born in Kern County on January 1st.

While this phenomenon is relatively rare, it has happened before. On New Year’s Eve in 2013, a woman in Ontario gave birth to twins, one of whom was born in 2013 and one in 2014. And last year, three sets of twins were born in different years — one in Atlanta, one in San Diego, and one in Glendale, Arizona.

Joaquin and Aitana are thankfully not twins separated at birth, but they will always have a unique story to tell all the same. Congratulations to Flores and her two healthy babies!