Buy one, get one free?
Valerie Thourin, 45, and her wife, Renee, 41, welcomed their “twiblings” just 12 days apart in December 2021 after being implanted with embryos at the identical time.
“We didn’t plan on getting pregnant at the identical time, but our cycles had synced, and our doctor suggested a twin transfer — it was meant to be,” Valerie told SWNS.
Levi Theodore Thourin, weighing 6 kilos, 8 ounces, was born Dec. 7, while his younger brother, Lenny Rrll Thourin, was born on Dec. 19 at 8 kilos 10 ounces.
“Our pregnancies mirrored one another with morning sickness, and we were in a position to go for ultrasounds at the identical time during Covid restrictions, which was so special,” Valerie continued.
Before the arrival of Levi and Lenny, the Canadian couple endured heartbreaking fertility issues.
Renee began exploring solo parenthood via artificial insemination (IUI) before she began dating Valerie in 2016.
After various failed pregnancy attempts and a miscarriage for Renee, the couple decided to try reciprocal IVF in October 2019.
Renee’s egg was fertilized with a stranger’s sperm and placed into Valerie’s womb.
But Valerie suffered a “soul-crushing” miscarriage in February 2020 — her first one, as she had carried two children to term during her prior marriage.
“I’d been by Renee’s side throughout her miscarriages, and I’d, in fact, been devastated, but it surely wasn’t until that time that I really understood what she’d undergone,” Valerie explained.
The couple began exploring alternative options, with one advice being that Renee and Valerie each have an embryo from a donor couple implanted in them on the identical day in April 2021.
Two weeks later, doctors confirmed they were each pregnant — just three years after they got married in April 2018.
“It was the happiest day of our life — everyone within the clinic was excited too.” Valerie gushed.
“From then we had one of the best time being pregnant together. As Covid was still lingering, not many couples were in a position to sit in during appointments, so Renee and I felt very lucky that we were in a position to.”
The couple’s pregnancies even mirrored each other’s, as they suffered morning sickness at the identical time.
“Pregnancy after loss may be very traumatic because there’s all the time ‘what if something happens,’ but having one another was amazing,” Valerie explained.
Now, the pleased, healthy babies are about 20 months old — and “complete opposites,” in accordance with their parents.
Lenny is “chill” and likes to sleep and eat, while Levi isn’t too keen on sleeping, as he’s “boisterous” and “incredibly curious.”
“They’re our miracles, and as they become old Renee and I will probably be completely open as to how we had them,” Valerie cooed. “Our story — whilst turbulent — is special, and we wouldn’t change it for the world.”
