Having twins for the second time was a surprise for both her and her husband. After having twin boys, they would be welcoming daughters this time. Six months after giving birth to her twin boys, Britney Alba was suspected of being pregnant again. The only thing that did not cross her mind was that she would have twins again, and that this time they would be daughters. In August 2022, Alba, 27, a teacher, and her husband, Frankie Alba, 25, a firefighter, from Alabama, welcomed identical twin girls, Lynlee and Lydia.

The couple already had two twin boys, Luka and Levi, who were also born without IVF. The twins are only 13 months apart from their twin brothers.

Lynlee and Lydia shared the same placenta, amniotic sac, and fluid (monochorionic twins). “MoMo” twins are among the rarest types of twins, accounting for about 1 percent of births in the U.S., according to Dr. Meghana Limaye, a fetomaternal medicine resident at NYU Langone Health.

MoMo twins face increased risks, including stillbirth of one or both babies, so doctors recommend increased screening and monitoring of the pregnancy. “They monitored the heartbeat several times a day and every time they checked I was holding my breath, waiting to hear two heartbeats,” Alba recalled, saying, “It was very scary, but I had the best care.”

Lynlee and Lydia were born by C-section and were healthy. “People look at us when we go for a walk, especially with the four-seater stroller. I used to get stopped all the time when I had the twins, but now I feel like I’m a circus attraction as everyone wants to catch a glimpse of my four children,” comments Alba.

And no, she doesn’t mind at all. She also agrees that identical twins are magical! “Yes, they’re very cute, but they also share a unique bond,” says Alba, noting that Luka and Levi started sleeping through the night once they started going to daycare.