Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CLEARFIELD, Utah (AP) — Utah twins were born just two minutes apart, but the boys will have different birthdays in different years because their mother gave birth as the ball dropped on New Year's Eve.
Identical twins James and Matthew Criddle were born by emergency cesarean section at a northern Utah hospital in what medical officials say was an unplanned event that was rare for Utah.
They were one of at least four sets of twins to share the distinction this year. Twins in Arizona, Florida and California were also born around midnight Saturday, with one each born in 2016 and the other in 2017. Officials at San Diego Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center said it was the second straight year it's happened there.
With a due date set for Feb. 4, Utah parents Huyen Nguyen and Nick Criddle of Clearfield were expecting a quiet evening at home to celebrate the New Year but decided to go to the hospital in the early evening to address some concerns, they told KUTV (http://bit.ly/2i7fdgI ).
They hoped it would be a quick visit but tests revealed the babies needed to be born that night.
The boys were born at 11:59 p.m. Dec, 31 and 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1 at Davis Hospital Medical Center in Layton.
James Criddle is believed to be the last baby born in Utah in 2016 and his twin brother Matthew Criddle the first born in 2017.
It was the first time anyone at the hospital could remember such an event, said hospital spokeswoman Diane Townsend.
"This isn't something that you try and plan for, it's just what happened," Nick Criddle said.
The mother and babies were doing well, Townsend said. Since the boys were born premature, they will remain in intensive care but doctors are pleased with their progress, she said.
Nick Criddle said his twin sons will have an amazing story to tell for the rest of their lives.
"They are the same in every way, but born a year apart!" he joked.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
