Recollections: Womb mates

Mom was 27, Dad 30, when they married in 1949. The war had interrupted Dad’s career, but by then he had landed a solid job, and the two were ready to settle down and raise a family.

They made up for lost time. The Frasers outpaced the Canadian baby boom of 1952-65, when the average number of children per woman was 3.7. (1) By March 5, 1957 Mom and Dad had five children under the age of six, including three in diapers. As twins, Karen and I completed the family.

It's twins! Congratulations rolled in from all corners.
They were probably really thinking, "Yikes, better you than me."

Many might groan at the thought of twins, but Mom took it all in stride. She explained to me that, “One baby takes all of your time, so what’s the difference?” Having twins had its benefits, she claimed; we kept each other occupied while she attended to other kids and chores.

An efficient, practical person, Mom also said, “Two babies in seven months. You can’t do much better than that.”

Phew, "early but safe arrival." I presume I was named after the obstetrician as a gesture of appreciation.

We were seven weeks premature, which is not that unusual. Wikipedia (2) states that, “Multiple pregnancies are much less likely to carry to full term than single births, with twin pregnancies lasting on average 37 weeks, three weeks less than full term.”

Not surprisingly, twins tend to weigh less than single babies, too. I arrived first, at 4:06 a.m., weighing 3 pounds, 14.25 ounces. Karen followed at 4:54 a.m., at a whopping 4 pounds, 3 ounces. (I’ve been a night owl ever since.)

“Two babies in seven months. You can’t do much better than that.”

According to Wikipedia, “More than half of twins are born weighing less than 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg), while the average birth weight of a healthy baby should be around 6–8 pounds (3–4 kg).”

Although perfectly healthy, Karen and I did have to stay in the Grace Hospital for several weeks until our weights came up. Cozy incubators are not a bad place to be in a Winnipeg winter. Thankfully, the oxygen incubators were leaky and we were hefty enough to avoid retinopathy (in which retinal blood vessels grow abnormally and can cause blindness), a risk for earlier, smaller preemies.

Home at last, summer of 1957, with Grandma Annie Fraser

Mom knew she was having twins, and it probably wasn't much of a surprise. There is a higher chance of having fraternal twins if there is a family history of such, but there is no genetic link for identical twins. Apparently, her mother had lost a pair of twins between her two youngest children (Ernie and Wes).

Eight months old.

The twins' first birthday, surrounded by diapers. Karen (right) needed haircuts long before I had hair.
Mom was smart to move the wringer washer (left) to the main floor.

Not sure what I'm chewing, but I did not punch in that clown's face.

Bug Out Bob was a gift (behind the candle in the photos above). I found it behind a radiator years later.

Mom designed the storage unit behind the kitchen table, but for small appliances, not diapers!

Fraternal twins are the most common type of twins. Because they arise from two separate eggs fertilized by two separate sperm, fraternal, or dizygotic, twins are essentially siblings who happen to be born together.

Mom was 35 when she had twins, an age when fraternal twinning rates double. Twins are also more likely if the mother is greater than average height and weight, and if she has had several previous pregnancies.