An extraordinary coincidence

Let's end these descriptions of paranormal pregnancies with the most unusual "coincidence":

On November 15, 2002, 36-year-old twins Amanda and Meagen Baldwin welcomed their sons. While the event itself is already unique, it becomes even more remarkable when you consider that Amanda lives in Sydney, Australia, and Meagen in Belgium—a distance of approximately 19,000 kilometers. While the birth of Amanda's son, Truman, was scheduled for November 4, and the birth of Benjamin, Meagen's son, was penciled in for early December, the birth of both cousins on the same day becomes utterly incredible.

The chain of coincidences began when the twins learned they were pregnant in late February. They joked over email and phone about how bizarre it would be if they gave birth on the same day. However, such an extraordinary coincidence seemed unlikely, as their pediatricians had predicted due dates that were a month apart.

Amanda had to agree to an induction when she was 11 days overdue, and after 13 hours of labor, she gave birth to Truman at 1:06 p.m. on Friday, November 15. Soon after it was certain the birth had gone without further complications, her husband sent Meagen an email announcing the birth of her nephew.

That's when things really started to get strange. Shortly after Meagen in Belgium learned that Amanda had given birth to a son in Australia, she began to feel nauseous. When she went to the doctor for a prenatal checkup that morning, Meagen was told her baby could arrive at any time. Her water broke that day, and she went to the hospital, where she gave birth to Benjamin at 2:40 p.m. on a Friday, almost a month before her due date.

When her husband broke the news of Benjamin's birth to Amanda and her family by phone, he couldn't help but remark that the two little boys, who were actually cousins, looked as much alike as twins. Without a doubt, these two cousins, separated by 19,000 kilometers, would always celebrate their birthdays on the same day, just as their mothers did.