It’s not every day that biracial twins are born. In fact, it is a pretty rare occurrence only a handful of people will ever experience. Jennifer and Matthew Milner are one of those couples who entered the hospital delivery room not sure what to expect. When their twins were born, the entire hospital staff seemed to want to get a glimpse of the breathtaking babies.
Twins Jakob and Joshua were born last March. What was supposed to be a normal, uncomplicated birth ended up being a media whirlwind. If you’re wondering why, it’s because of how the babies appeared. No, they weren’t missing any limbs or toes, thank goodness. However, “Jakob was born with blond hair, blue eyes and a pale complexion, like his dad, while Joshua came out with brown hair, brown eyes and brown skin, like his mom,” reports Today Parents.
When their beautiful healthy twins were born, the parents were shocked. They had never heard of the phenomenon of biracial twins being born like this, and didn’t know it was even possible. Their excitement was invigorating and caused those around them to beam smiles of joy.
“Joshua looked like me and Jakob was really, really pale. We were completely stunned. We both got a baby that looks like us!” Jennifer explained. “How cool is that?”
Not everyone is smiling
Of course, not everyone has manners or decency when seeing the family out in public. Jennifer says she gets stares from strangers all the time. Some people even have commented on her and her children’s relationship, by asking if they are actually related.
“If I’m kissing him, I’ll notice people are looking at us and trying to figure out our relationship,” she revealed. “I once ran into a woman who knew I was pregnant and instead of congratulating me she said, ‘That’s your biological son?’”
However, more often than not, people say kind and considerate words when they realize the twins are siblings. “They’re a reminder that we’re all human with the same basic needs. The only difference is the complexion,” Jennifer said. “It’s really beautiful.”
How Common are Biracial Twins?
Giving birth to twins, whether fraternal or identical, is considered a rare thing. According to ReproductiveFacts.org, “Naturally, twins occur in about one in 250 pregnancies, triplets in about one in 10,000 pregnancies, and quadruplets in about one in 700,000 pregnancies.” So, while twins aren’t as rare as some other types of births, compared to single births, they are still quite uncommon.
However, when considering biracial, those numbers increase from 1 in 250 to 1 in 500, according to BBC News. Dr. Jim Wilson is a geneticist at the University of Edinburgh. He claims “our skin color is determined by a number of gene variants – at least 20 variants.” He goes on to say, “some of these we know, and some of them we don’t yet know, and at each of these genes, that are influencing the color of our skin, there tends to be two or more variants. One of which is producing a darker skin tone, and one of which is producing a lighter skin tone. These gene variants control the amount of melanin or pigment produced in the skin. However, the particular genes that a child inherits from their parents and ancestors is actually a chance process.“
Regardless of how rare having twins like these beautiful brothers is, or how the process takes place, scientifically, we can all agree on something: these kids certainly love one another. And after all, that’s what family is all about- love.
Keep Reading: These Women Were Photographed Before And After Becoming Mothers
Sources
- “‘Like any other brothers:’ Meet Maryland’s beautiful biracial twins.” Today Parents. Rachel Paula Abrahamson.
- “Multiple Pregnancy and Birth: Twins, Triplets, and High Order Multiples.” Reproductive Facts.
- “What makes a mixed race twin white or black?” BBC News. Lucy Wallis.
