Couple welcomes rare 'twiblings' born four months apart after surrogacy miracle

After 20 IVF failures, UK couple Rohan and Kate Silva welcomed 'twiblings' — siblings born four months apart.

A UK couple, Rohan and Kate Silva, faced multiple heartbreaks after enduring 20 unsuccessful IVF procedures before turning to surrogacy. But in a surprising twist, 40-year-old Kate also became pregnant naturally. Given their difficult fertility history, the couple decided to continue with both pregnancies.

The close-in-age babies are sometimes called “Californian twins,” blending the terms twin and sibling. (Representational)

Miraculously, both pregnancies ended up being successful and the couple welcomed rare “twiblings”, siblings born just four months apart, a report by The Times said. The close-in-age babies born this way are sometimes called “Californian twins,” blending the terms twin and sibling.

Kate gave birth first, followed by their surrogate Ava, who delivered a healthy baby four months later.

Rohan shared that people are often confused when they learn about their children’s unusual age gap: "Then they will approach and say, ‘You know, we’ve all been chatting and we’re wondering, er, what’s the story?’”

The parents hope that as the babies grow older, the small age gap will become less noticeable, making them seem more like actual twins.

Miracle babies

While living in Los Angeles, the couple found a surrogate through an agency. A year later, they were matched with Ava, and one of their embryos was successfully transferred.

The Silvas traveled to the US to be in the delivery room with Ava and her husband for the birth of their third child. However, they have chosen not to reveal which child was born through surrogacy.

"I think as a society we’ve got really good at understanding that families come together in different ways: blended families, mixed families. I’d love to get to a point where surrogacy is just another of those ways," Rohan said.