Fast forward to a couple of days ago. I decided I needed to find a twin forum b/c I figured the moms there could give me more insight on identical vs fraternal twins. All this did was make me obsess about whethere they are actually identical. I can't stop thinking about it & want to know 100% for sure that they are so that when we are asked I can say for sure. The only way to achieve this is a DNA test so I found a place that only charges $99. I'm now waiting not so patiently to receive the kit so I can swab the girls' cheeks & send it back to them.
In the meantime, I called Dr. Adam's nurse back & am asking that the pathology report be sent to me. I also asked that she call me back so she can read the report to me. Another thing that was suggested is that I take pics of the girls together w/o clothes on (yes...they had diapers on) & also to focus in on their features. Check out these pictures & tell me if you can figure out whose nose & eyes belong to who.
Here are the eyes...
The girls' noses...
A profile picture which really helps see their similarities...
A couple more pics of them together...
I really don't know but when you look at their features w/o their faces, they look identical. When you put their eyes & noses on their faces, they look so different. I think that Gabi's head is still very asymetrical which attributes to such a HUGE difference in their looks. Gabi's head is also very long & Sofi's is very wide b/c of where they were in the uterus. Gabi was breach & Sofi was head down, engaged in my pelvis. She was protected very well & has a perfectly round head, if anything a bit squooshed together. Basically Gabi's features are very spread out on her face while Sofi's is all close together.
Honestly, I really don't know. I believe Dr. Adam & know that there is a VERY SLIM chance, if any, that the pathology report is incorrect but there is some doubt b/c of how differently they actually look. There is only 1 way to find out & I suppose it will be sooner than later. Now, let's see if I can actually stay SANE while waiting, LOL!
SOOOO...what are your opinions? Leave a comment & let me know!
22 comments:
i think their features look a LOT alike. when i was waiting for the dna results from my boys, someone said look at their ears - ears are particularly unique. sure enough, all three of my boys have a very unique fold in their ear, and they are indeed identical. :)
anyway, my vote is yes, identical. and for the record, they did pathology on my one placenta too, and it came back inconclusive. i think they can only prove that non-identical, not identical. if that makes sense.
Identical or not, they are ADORABLE! I go see Dr. Adam tomorrow and I will tell her you said Hi and try and get contact info for her.
I will call you after the appointment.
Hey Astrid,
Now i'm home with my big girl, since she's sick! LOL! Good thing i didn't try to come over today! :)
I'm 99% sure they look identical. i did NOT do the test b/c my hubby did NOT want to spend the 150. email me where you found the 99.00 one? I may have to do it just to be sure. We did exactly what you did and our pathology report was the same...no questions asked. I still have my doubts b/c they look very different to me...but if i do see them from the back i can't tell a difference. To me, your girls have all the same features. They are soo cute. I can't WAIT to see them!
Also, i think my girls are mirror image twins b/c one is a lefty and the other a righty. TWO of my 3 are lefties, which is think is soo crazy! BUT, my hubby is a lefty!
Let me know what you find...i can't wait to hear. Did you actually get a copy of the pathology report? I did get one..but my dr. said he was sure they were identical and they had TTS, so chances were high that they were identical.
See you soon!
i think that they look identical, but can understand your confusion! i hope that the test comes quick and you get the results even quicker! LOL
I think that your girls look identical. I haven't done the DNA testing on my guys. With one placenta I think it's really unlikely that they are NOT identical.
Good luck with it. Can't wait to hear about the results!
Mel
They look identical in those pictures. However, in previous pictures you posted I didn't think they looked identical. It will be very interesting to get the test results.
Lori
I'm betting they are identical and the differences are a result of sqooshed-ness in the womb. I totally understand wanting to know for sure!
I have done a lot of reading on twins here and there, and according to a lot of things (including the In the Womb: Multiples special by National Geographic), there are an insane amount of factors besides the genes that determine how a baby looks. The womb location is a big one, but once they separate their environments are slightly different. So it *is* possible for identical twins to look different ((and for regular siblings to look like identical twins. I think Cora and Erin would have looked like twins)). I wouldn't be surprised if they are, in fact, identical. Can't wait to hear for sure!
Sooo adorable, whether identical or not. I am a mom of twin boys and the jury is still out for them, too. We don't think they are identical, but so many people do. Could you post what lab you are using for $99?? I would love to put the questions to rest once and for all. Thanks!
I agree with Lori, previous pictures they look so different. But those eyes and noses look the same! Also, Gabi is always smiling, it seems, and Sofi is a poker face so that adds to the non-identical looks. I can see why you are springing for the test. I want to know too! I wish there were ear pictures to compare, like the other triplet mom mentioned. And btw, my vote for the ear/nose pics are Gabi/Sofi and Sofi/Gabi. Am I right?
Umm, I meant eye/nose pictures. And I'm going to vote non-identical, just because nobody else has and winning is really important to me.
Hannah ~ I got the test from www.dnanow.com & just got it in the mail. I'll be putting it back in the mail tomorrow!
Julie ~ You are wrong about who is who but I won't tell you the answer b/c then everyone would know, hehe.
Hey Astrid! I do think they look identical, I think it's because of the head shape. Sofi is so much smaller than Gabi it looks like.
they've never looked identical to me, but do they have to LOOK identical to BE identical? also, i'd be interested to see random baby noses and eyes, to how much difference is there. based on just eyes and noses, i couldn't tell sofi from gabi.
...also, sounds like you need to get out more! :) they are healthy and beautiful. period.
jewels
They are still adorable, identical or not. And don't fret over the schedules that don't last very long--that's what they're best at. Blowing their schedules now, and blowing off their curfews later!
(your overseas neighbor!)
Hi Astrid, thanks so much for touching base last week! I can't believe we are so close to having our multiples as well! You definitely give me hope that I can do it, even though there are ups and downs for the most part you seem to have it all together, it's amazing!! I'm glad to see the babies are doing so well and growing every week! They are truly precious!!
Now about the identical girls, I can't wait to hear if they are or not. In those close up pictures they definitely do look identical but from farther away not so much?? Best of luck finding your answers. Keep in touch!! Natalie
Hello, Astrid! I haven't posted our current status to the forum yet - been a little overwhelmed! We had our girls last Tuesday, Sep 2nd and everything is going amazingly wonderful! You can check out my blog if you'd like! You've been a source of tremendous support for me, though our contact has been minimal! Can you tell me what source you are using for your DNA test? We are interested ion doing the same and I am getting lost in Google searches!! And for what it's worth, I think your girls are beautiful and most likely identical!!! :o) Thanks, Astrid!
~Kelly~
http://millers.blogspot.com
I don't know, my thought is that they look identical. The head shape to me is what I see a difference in. Their eyes, nose, mouth and even ears look the same in the photos.
Regardless, they are super cute!
I think they look a LOT a like... I would be willing to say they are identical. I think you are right that the head shape is what is throwing you/people off. Their eyes and noses look identical, IMO.
I haven't ever commented, but I read your blog all the time. :)
Melissa
July DDC member/ended up in june though. :)
I'm very curious what the DNA results will say - My twins ended up being identical {1 placenta - 2 sacs}. My pediatrician said the results from the placenta are normally inconclusive and "rarely" shows fusion marks if it started off as two. I thought my twins looked similar {such as siblings} but not identical. So, I argued they were not identical - well guess what - they were!! DNA don't lie! I ended up reading somewhere that fraternals look more alike than identicals the first couple of years. Apparently so, my 2 REALLY look alike now {they will be 2 in October}! I recently gave them different hair-dos just so everyone can tell them apart - they are mirrored image, so thank goodness their crowns are on the opposite sides of each head!
You know, I should have added that during the original split it is rare that the cell cleaves evenly - so one baby is going to have more of the x chromosome and the other have more the y chromosome.
My nieces are identical twins but they're not completely identical. One had a more round, fuller face, while the other had a more slender face. One's eyes were closer together than the others. That's how I could tell them apart--I would look at the eyes and face shape. They're now 13 and one is taller and more slender than the other. And I still look at their eyes to see who is who!
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