Mono Mono Twins Holding Hands After Birth, Began Lives As ‘Best Friends’ Their Mother Says

Mono Mono Twins Holding Hands: Newborn twins Jenna and Jillian Thistlethwaite began their lives as best friends after being born 48 seconds apart Friday at Akron General Medical Center.  The rare condition of being monoamniotic, or "mono mono" identical twins, which means the fetuses share an amniotic sac and remain in near-constant contact for the duration of the pregnancy.

"They're already best friends. I can't believe they were holding hands. That's amazing," said their mother, Sarah Thistlethwaite. Jenna was born first at 4 pounds, 2 ounces and 17 inches, with Jillian following 48 seconds later at 3 pounds, 13 ounces and 17.5 inches.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the twin girls were born with a rare condition, but by the afternoon on Mother's Day their ventilators were removed and they were able to breathe comfortably on their own.

"It's just hard to put into words how amazing it feels to know the girls are OK. It's great to know that they're doing so well, and being able to hold them," Mrs. Thistlethwaite told the Associated Press.

According to Buzz Feed, the girls were born healthy but are reportedly under observation for some breathing problems in the hospital's neonatal unit.

Dr. Melissa Mancuso helped deliver the twins, one of several amniotic pairs she has helped deliver in 11 years. She said the twins are at risk during pregnancy of entanglement of umbilical cords, which can cause death, the Wall Street Journal reported.

According to The Guardian, the girls were born on Friday at Akron General Medical Centre and were moved temporarily to Akron Children's Hospital because they needed help to breath. Thistlethwaite expects to be discharged from hospital on Tuesday, while the girls will stay for an anticipated two to four weeks.

The mono mono condition occurs in about 0.3% of births. They occur in about one of every 10,000 pregnancies.