OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Having a baby is a miracle in and of itself, but to have two babies born on the same day in the same nuclear family is rare.
That’s exactly what happened to a pair of sisters, and it’s not the only coincidence.
On the same day, two sisters found out they were pregnant. Each had the same due date, Oct. 10. But both babies came early on the exact same day.
Ashley Raschke and sister Lindsey Sprague have always been close. So when Sprague found out she was pregnant, Raschke was one of her first calls.
“And I was going to tell her, and she had actually taken the pregnancy test while on the phone with me,” Sprague said.
A text came in with a picture of her sister’s positive pregnancy test.
“She was actually the first one to know, even over my husband,” Raschke said. “I surprised him that night.”
They said surprising their family with double the good news was the best part. One sister welcomed a little girl, the other a little boy. Another difference: Raschke is a first-time mom.
“Any question I had, she’s been through stuff,” Raschke said. “She’s the younger sister, but she’s already been through it.”
“I was just very excited to be able to share that with my sister,” Sprague said.
Now, these newborns — and new cousins — share a birthday after Madison and Ryker were born about an hour apart.
“She was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19 inches,” Raschke said, “and beautiful.”
They had rooms right next to each other in the hospital. Raschke didn’t see Sprague before Ryker arrived, but she sure did hear his mom.
“Yeah, I could hear her screaming. She was more vocal,” Raschke said. “But I actually got the full epidural, and she did not.”
Unfortunately, this pair is no stranger to pain.
Before getting pregnant with these rainbow babies, the sisters miscarried in the same week.
“I believe everything happens for a reason,” Raschke said. “It ended up being a happy experience. We definitely had some tough ones, but it was all worth it.”
Despite initial complications, both babies are happy and healthy.
