Odalis Martinez, of San Pablo, California, conceived her two daughters five days apart. The 25-year-old mother got pregnant with baby number two while expecting baby number one. Her daughter’s Lilo and Imedla were born on 10 August 2021 and look just like twins. The girls’ births were the result of a rare occurrence called superfetation.
The full-time-mother said it felt like a ‘miracle’ to have daughters Lilo and Imelda Martinez-Atoyac arrive but admits that the pair look so similar that her and Antonio have mistaken them for one another. In fact, the duo look so alike that Odalis says she tells people they are twins rather than having to explain the truth.
Odalis said: ‘I got pregnant while I was already pregnant. ‘I just say that they’re twins but after reading a lot of articles I know that they’re technically not twins but it’s just confusing for people so I just tell them like “Yeah, they’re twins.” ‘They’re technically not even identical but everyone thinks that they are. They definitely look a lot alike.
‘Sometimes me and my husband, well more my husband, will get them mixed up with each other. ‘Antonio will have a baby for an hour and be like “Oh Lilo” this and that and I’m like “You have Imelda” and he will be say “What?” and I’m just there laughing because he was like “Oh my God for a whole hour I thought I had Lilo”. ‘I usually don’t get them mixed up anymore, just because I’m with them 24/7 so I feel like I can tell them apart pretty easily, but a lot of people get them mixed up.’
Odalis and Antonio, who currently works as a counselor, married in early 2020 and dreamed of starting their own family. She fell pregnant but discovered she had miscarried during their 12 week check-up in July 2020. A few months later the couple decided to try again, and she fell pregnant that same month. Odalis said: ‘I was extremely happy that the pregnancy test was positive and we were on our pregnancy journey again. ‘I felt really lucky. I know a lot of people that have been trying to conceive and just haven’t been able to so that was also a fear of mine, but thankfully that wasn’t our case and I fell pregnant really quickly.
Odalis went into her first ultrasound alone because 31-year-old Antonio had to wait outside due to C.ovid regulations. Odalis said: ‘I was just so scared that they were going to tell me, “Oh, there’s no heartbeat”, so I was so anxious the whole time I was texting Antonio: “I’m so s.cared”. ‘The doctor comes in and I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for anything and when she found the first baby and the heartbeat I was crying with so much happiness.
An exact date of conception can be determined by looking at the size of the fetus and comparing it to the same pattern of growth in other pregnancies. Fetuses grow quickly, which is how ultrasound can determine how old they are, and how a specialist could have told Imelda and Lilo were not conceived at the same time. The mother-of-two said her due date was set in the middle – two days after one baby would have been 40 weeks and two days before the other one would have been 40 weeks.
The babies arrived on August 10 2021 and Lilo, who was conceived first was also born first weighing 6lbs 12oz. Imelda then followed, weighing 7lbs 3oz. Odalis said: ‘I feel like it’s some sort of miracle that I experienced this double pregnancy. Because of our first experience, it made everything during this pregnancy feel so much more special and magical. ‘Just how easy I was able to conceive, and knowing that I had two babies, I just felt like there was so much light after such a dark place. It was the best surprise ever. ‘It was a really beautiful moment to finally be able to hold them in my arms.
