Having announced our twin pregnancy to the world recently, the most common response I get to our news is “So, do twins run in the family?” Despite this being such a common belief, scientists can’t find evidence that identical twins are genetic; no one is actually certain what causes an egg to split. Fraternal twins can be the result of genetics when a woman inherits the tendency to hyperovulate. Even so, the chances of having twins is just not that high.
While I know that science says that my twins are not the product of genetics, in families like mine, it’s hard not to wonder if scientists just haven’t found the right link. From the time I was a little bitty thing, people told me I was destined to have twins. So why did everyone think I was a genetic goldmine for twins?
Meet my paternal grandmother and her twin brother:
I’m an overachiever, though, so one grandma being a twin just wasn’t enough for me. Meet my maternal grandmother and her identical twin sister.
Yep, both of my grandmothers are twins! My paternal grandmother passed away when I was nine, so while I know she and my great-uncle were super close, most of my “twin memories” come from my maternal grandma, Inalue, and her identical twin, Inysue. We just called them Grandma and Other Grandma. They absolutely, unquestionably ADORED being twins. They played tricks on boys that would come to pick one of them up for a date. They went to beauty school together and opened their own salon. The stories they told made being a twin sound so fun that my mom and I both always wished we had been born with a twin. That’s why I prayed to have twins for most of my life. If I couldn’t be a twin, at least I could have them!
My grandpa was a Captain in World War II. When he returned after a visit home, the young private who picked him up at the airport asked how his furlough was. He responded by saying, “One of these days, I’m going to marry one of those pretty McDaniel twins.” And as soon as the war ended, both twins married their respective military heroes!
My sweet grandma had a whole basketful of heartbreak when it came to having children. Her first pregnancy was fraternal twins, disproving that whole “twins skip a generation” thing. She went into labor at about 7 months, and gave birth to a little boy and a little girl. The little girl only lived a few hours, but my uncle was a fighter and pulled through. Sadly, her next pregnancy was a single boy, who left this world a day after his arrival. My mom was born last, and their family was finally complete.
My favorite 90-year old twins at our wedding.
My grandma and her twin shared their 90th birthday a year and a half ago and both of them were able to attend our wedding that year. My aunt passed away weeks before their 91st birthday, and naturally, it has been a huge loss for my grandmother. I have never so looked forward to making a call as I did the day I got to tell my grandma that we were expecting twins. She was ecstatic and continues to talk about it all the time. It’s kind of lovely that a little more than a year after my grandma lost her twin, she’ll become the great-grandma to our twins. While our twins may not be a genetic hand-me down, I will always believe they were a special gift from God at just the right time for our family.
Do you have any twins in your family?
nectarine / 2152 posts
Oh gosh, the thought of your grandma losing her twin made me tear up. Then the thought of you telling her you’re having twins made me tear up again! I’m a mess but loved this story!
cantaloupe / 6730 posts
I think there has to be something genetic to having identical twins. I know this is only one story, but consider this. My coworker had identical twins in her first pregnancy. She got pregnant a second time and it was also identical twins!!! That’s got to be genetic. What would be the odds of back to back identical twin pregnancies??
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
I missed that you are having TWINS! Crazy! Congratulations! My great grandma was a twin but no one else in my family has had twins (well, my cousin did, but it was in vitro).
squash / 13199 posts
I always thought identical twins were genetic… I learn something new everyday. Love the photos of your grandmothers
apricot / 391 posts
@Grace: I agree with you, but my husband is an actuary math nerd and he would say 100% probability (because it actually happened)…. hahahah… that response always peeves me off a little bit!
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
so sweeet!!!!
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
our nanny’s brother has 6 kids — 3 sets of twins! 2 are identical and 1 are fraternal.
pomelo / 5331 posts
I was actually certain we were going to have twins because MIL and her brother are twins… until I realized that went on on his side of the family would have no bearing on how *my* eggs behaved!
Funny enough, my dad’s brother and his wife have twin daughters (but I’m adopted, so that wouldn’t play into my genetics). And my dad’s second wife has twin boys — one of whom has twin girls!
Lots of twin-nage going on, none of which affects me, apparently!
kiwi / 553 posts
I just gave birth to fraternal twin boys a month ago, but we don’t have any twins on either side of our family that would affect my genetics. I think my 3rd cousin had fraternal twin girls, but I doubt that had any impact on me!
I constantly get the questions in the store – so, who has twins in their family? No one! And (even though I don’t think it’s okay to ask this question) did you have fertility treatments? Nope! They just came as a surprise.
blogger / pomelo / 5361 posts
@Shimmer: Oh, yeah, we’ve been asked if it was “natural” a couple of times. Such a weird question.
grapefruit / 4187 posts
You’re having twins?? Where have I been – Congrats!! I am crying at my desk reading this post, thanks a lot!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
I love the pictures!
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
@Shimmer: so awkward! Though I can’t say I haven’t wondered it with some people who I knew had been trying awhile, and then had twins.
this post is so sweet. I was heartbroken for your grandma… how utterly sad. I cannot imagine the heartbreak… :(:( isn’t it sad to think that fast-forward 40-ish years and twins survive like 99% of the time?! Amazing how medically advanced we have become.
I’m soooo excited for you!!! Ahhh
kiwi / 553 posts
@Coco Bee: Oh, I definitely wonder too… but I either let people volunteer the information or just let it stay a mystery. I say that it’s not appropriate to ask because it’s coming from strangers in the grocery store! I would NEVER ask a stranger something that personal… but that’s just me I guess! I’ve been shocked by how many people have asked me that during my pregnancy and since delivery!
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
i love the pictures! i always wished i had twins in my family, but nope… none that i know of.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
I have a ton of twins in my family! Both fraternal and identical. I was hopeful, but just a singleton this time. We will see if we get twins in the next go-round
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
Love the old photos!
No twins in our families that we know of.
blogger / nectarine / 2687 posts
this is such a neat post! i love the stories of your grandmother and twin and totally do think it just meant to be that your grandmother will soon have great-grandbaby twins!
coffee bean / 32 posts
That is still the #1 asked question for me! I didnt know, until finding out I was having twins, that only fraternal twins were genetic. At first when people would ask if I had other sets of twins in my family, I would explain that I was just lucky, and identical twins do not “run in families”, but after awhile I just went with NO. Lol Having twins comes with A LOT of people asking A LOT of questions! I also have read that only the mothers side determines (fraternal) twins, and It doesn’t make a difference if there are twins on the paternal side. There’s alot of information out there, so it’s sometimes tiring to figure out what to believe and what not to believe!
@ Shimmer- I get that alot too! We can’t go anywhere without being stopped at least once or twice
nectarine / 2690 posts
My paternal Grandpa is a fraternal twin. None of my cousins have twins (and they all have several children). My sister and I don’t have any kids yet, so time will tell!
grapefruit / 4703 posts
I so love that your grandma is here to share this experience with you!! And I think it will be so nice to be able to share those pictures with your own twins.
My dad is a fraternal twin, but they’re the only ones in the family. I think that it had more to do with my grandmother being 40 when she had them (older eggs boost your twin chances, supposedly) than hyper ovulation. But the thought of it being passed down to me scares the bejeezus out of DH!
blogger / nectarine / 2010 posts
I love the photos. I’m so sad for your grandmother, even though they had 90+ wonderful years together. What a treat it will be when your twins arrive.
We have lots of twins in my family – my mother’s brothers are fraternal twins, and then in our family genealogy album there are several sets of twins on both my mother and father’s side.
pomegranate / 3053 posts
That is just WILD! I heard twins skip a generation which probably explains why you’re having twins. I love all the pictures. How precious that you have pictures of your grandparents.
My maternal grandma has twin sisters and my aunt (one of her daughters) has fraternal twins. Not sure if my maternal grandmother’s sisters are identical or fraternal though. I was hoping to have twins just to get it over with one or two times; but ended up having one boy with each pregnancy.
GOLD / pomelo / 5167 posts
that’s so sweet!!! and i guess it does skip a generation.
DH grandmother was a twin and my cousins are twins.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
Call me extra hormonal, but I just teared up seeing the pictures of your grandma and her sister at your wedding! I love your story and that you were able to share your news with your grandma, I can only imgaine how thrilled she is!
pomegranate / 3595 posts
It is so great that your twins will be part of this cool family heritage! Thanks so much for sharing with us! My mom is a fraternal twin so I suppose our chance of having twins is slightly higher, but we ended up with a singleton, who is a handful all by herself!
cherry / 111 posts
Such a sweet post. I teared up.
I always wonder if I am genetically predisposed to have twins- my Mom had twins frightfully early and they didn’t survive. But the blessing- if that hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t have had me.
coffee bean / 29 posts
I have younger identical twin brothers, there is also a history of them on both sides of our family.
honeydew / 7968 posts
Loved this post! I have twins but thru treatments….hate when people ask if it runs in the fam. Not that I know of. O, you were just lucky? Yeah, that’s it.
guest
We have lots of twins in our family.. I’m a twin fraternal with a brother, and I have 2 sets of first cousins that are identical. I also had identical twins and my cousin from my other side of my family just had fraternal twins. That makes five sets in one generation!