Identical twins Becky Pistone (left) with baby Andi and Rachael McGeoch with William gave birth to their newborns hours apart using 'twin power'. Photo / Facebook
By Candace Sutton
Identical twins Rachael McGeoch and Becky Pistone have given birth to babies using what they call their special "twin power" after medical intervention failed to help.
The twins, 34, who are both married to men named William, had been due to have their babies 13 days apart in separate hospitals.
Both from Massachusetts, the twins live two hours apart in Cape Cod and Cambridge, near Boston, reports News.com.au.
Rachael had been due first in the second week of August, and was planning to have her baby in Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge.
When she failed to go into labour, doctors tried to induce her but nothing happened. It was then the twins decided to take matters into their own hands.
As Rachael wrote later on her Facebook page, "Twin Power: After 2.5 days of trying to induce me and nothing working, we knew we needed to be together.
"Bec came up to Boston to hold my hand and I finally went into active labour. As she and Bill were supporting me, she went into labour too."
Becky Pistone, who had been planning to have her baby at Cape Cod Hospital, was trigged and admitted to the room right next to her sister Rachael in Mount Auburn Hospital.
Both twins would give birth with their Williams by their side, Rachael with her solar energy director husband Bill Bubenicek, and Becky with William "Todd" Pistone next door.
"For 2 hours Bill was juggling both of us until she was trigged and admitted to the room next to me where Todd and my mom were able to join her," Rachael explained later on Facebook.
Becky sat on an exercise ball for some of the time while Rachael was in labour, until she had to go back to her own hospital bed.
"Bec and crew were banging on the walls as they heard our baby William born at 10:41pm!" Rachael wrote on Facebook.
Baby William Charles Bubenicek was born on August 15, but Becky Pistone was still labouring to produce his baby cousin.
She is two minutes younger than her twin sister Rachael.
"Bec laboured all night and morning but had not made much progress, the baby was in the wrong position and she was stalled," Rachael McGeoch said.
Again, the twins banded together to bring on the birth.
"We knew she needed some inspiration," Rachael said,. "The nurses/midwives helped me sneak in with baby William so she could meet and hold him.
"We sat with her and shortly after she was fully dilated and pushed Andi out in 24 miss! So they are only 20 hours apart!
"There are so many awesome things about being a twin but this might take the cake! "Big thanks to Bec and Todd for forfeiting their plans to have Andi at Cape Cod Hospital.
"To our families who were all there supporting us and to all the Midwives, Nurses and staff at Mt Auburn Hospital who understood the twin connection and made this all possible!!"
Andi Isabella Pistone, was born at 6:54pm on August 16.
Now a month old, the baby cousins have been in each other's company at least four times and their respective fathers and twins Rachael and Becky visit each their with their newborns.
"Hopefully they'll be as close as Rachael and I have been," said Pistone, "it's always been our dream for them."