Jolene and Andrew McKee from Brooklyn in New York have their hands full after having three sets of twins in five years.
Peyton and Page are five years old, Abigail and Andrew are three, and Aiden and Jaiden are three months old.
“I never envisioned myself with a big family,” Jolene (32) says. “But it’s such a blessing that I have had six babies from three pregnancies.”
After having a miscarriage six years ago she was worried she might never become a mom but three months later Jolene and Andrew (33) discovered they were expecting twins.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was beautiful,” she says.
When she fell pregnant again two years later she was sure it wouldn’t be another set of twins – after all, the chances of this happening stand at around 12 500 to one. So imagine her surprise when she found they’d soon be a family of six.
When she fell pregnant a third time, her odds of having twins rose to a staggering 1,4 million to one.
“I was 100% sure it couldn’t be another set of twins. I thought it would just be one baby,” Jolene says.
Her doctor was even more astonished to see two little hearts beating during the scan. In the 25 years of practising medicine he’d never seen a woman fall pregnant with three sets of twins.
Jolene quickly came to terms with the fact that there’d soon be the pitter-patter of two more sets of tiny feet in their home.
“I just accepted that this was meant for me and I love it.”
She’s especially pleased that her twins are in “all three combinations” – girl twins, boy-girl twins, and boy twins.
Jolene believes her “overactive uterus” is responsible for all her twins. Two eggs are released when she ovulates, upping her chances of conceiving non-identical twins.
It’s been a joy to give birth to all six babies in such a short period of time, she says.
“All of my pregnancies went really smoothly, but it was very different the second and third time around being pregnant while also being an active mom.
“But I just had to push through. After giving birth to Abigail and Andrew, it was challenging having two sets of twins but twins were all that we knew so it kind of felt like it got easier with each set.
“My favourite thing is watching them grow and progress. It really warms my heart.”
It’s sometimes tricky to establish a schedule that works for their family of eight and laundry can be a real challenge too. However, she’s happy that all the children get along.
“I love our family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
