Mom Conceives Three Sets of Non-Identical Twins Naturally, at Shocking Odds of 500,000:1

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If meal planning, shower rotas, and color-coded utensils are not your jam, then buckle up! This is going to be a bumpy ride. Dance lecturer Karen Rodger and events manager Colin Rodger have a chaotic domestic life that far overshadows their day jobs. The Rodgers are not your typical Scottish parents.

That’s because they have a mind-blowing three sets of twins.

In the year 2000, Karen gave birth to twin boys Lewis and Kyle. Just two years later, Finn and Jude arrived; the second set of odds-beating, naturally conceived twins. The couple were overwhelmed but overjoyed.

A decade passed, but as the Rodgers’ eldest boys nudged their way into their teenage years, something shifted. “When I turned 40, I didn’t feel finished,” Karen opened up to Scottish news reporter Josh Hour. “I wanted another one!” So Karen and Colin, bravely embracing the prospect of parenting in their forties, tried again.

They were excited when Karen conceived quickly, but then Karen’s six-week scan sent her reeling. Doctors had assured the couple that there was a 500,000:1 chance that Karen’s third pregnancy would be twins, but what did the unbelievable ultrasound reveal? That’s right: twins, round three! “It took me about ten minutes to pluck up the courage to text my husband,” Karen admitted.

Colin’s hilarious, five-word response simply said: “That’s not funny, Karen.”

According to The Mirror, medics concluded that Karen had “sticky eggs,” meaning that more than one egg was released at a time, increasing the chance of having non-identical twins. Having four boys already, Karen and Colin were over the moon when baby girls Rowan and Isla were born on May 29, 2013, at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.

“I think they just slotted into our mad, chaotic life quite well,” Karen shared. “They are an absolute joy to have in the house.” Mercifully, the babies’ four older brothers fell completely in love with their tiny, and rather miraculous, sisters.

When asked by Josh Hour, “What’s the best thing about having a gang of six in the house?” Karen responded: “You’re always going to have company. We’re going to have lots of people sitting round the Christmas dinner table,” she added, thoughtfully. “I just love it!”

In August of 2018, looking adorable all decked-out in their brand-new school uniforms, little Rowan and Isla set off for their first day at Langbank Primary School in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It’s the same school that all four of the girls’ brothers attended, and the moment was very evocative for Karen.

“I was absolutely fine until one of my older boys, Lewis, said to me he thought I was going to cry,” Karen told STV News. “I insisted I wouldn’t, then he confessed that he cried too.”

Today, the 47- and 50-year-old parents are ludicrously busy but happy, and they still rule the roost. All their boys still live at home, and every member of the family’s phones are sensibly synced to one planner. It’s the only way to keep track.

“I think the boys will be amazing dads and husbands,” Karen mused, “as they were a great help when [Rowan and Isla] were born and still babysit the girls.” And what of the tiniest members of the Rodger household? “Boyfriends will be completely unacceptable,” Colin joked. “I think the girls are going to have five dads with the boys looking out for them too.”

“It will be a frightening gauntlet for any boyfriend to run!”