Two women who ditched their boyfriends to be with each other have both had a baby – via the same sperm donor.
The cute tots, a boy and a girl, are biological half-siblings.
Little Elijah John and Olivia Eva share a room with their mums Zoe and Holly Anderson Ross, who are “over the moon” with their new arrivals.
Holly, who gave birth to Olivia on October 25, said: “We are so happy and relieved they are here with us and they’re both healthy and perfect.
“It’s taken a long time to get here, so it’s a massive relief. Our family is now complete. They both feel like both of our babies. It’s not like Olivia is mine because I gave birth to her and Elijah is Zoe’s because she gave birth to him. They are both equally our children and they are both so loved.”
The couple, of Hailsham, East Sussex, were dating male pals when they met at a party and experienced an irresistible “instant attraction”. At first they dismissed their boyfriends’ suspicions that they fancied each other.
But the truth finally came out and Zoe and Holly got together in 2009.
They married four years later, with Holly becoming a second mum to Zoe’s daughter Shannon, now 14.
And they told their remarkable story in an interview with the Sunday People seven years ago.
Since then they have been trying for a family but suffered three miscarriages.
Joy finally came when they fell pregnant at the same time via DIY insemination.
Zoe, 33, who had Elijah by Caesarian section, said: “It took a long time to get to this point, with two little cherubs in our home.
“After trying for so long, we almost gave up. But then we decided to double our chances by both getting inseminated. The next month we fell pregnant to the same donor – it was like fate.”
The sperm donor does not want to be involved with the babies but he is happy for them to contact him when they turn 18.
And the pair’s former boyfriends are no longer in their lives.
Holly, also 33, said: “I imagine our exes will be indifferent when they hear we’ve had babies. It wasn’t nice for them when we met and fell in love.
“So I don’t imagine they’ll think much of us having kids together.”
While barely four weeks since Eliljah arrived on October 15, both tots are already in a happy routine.
Holly added: “Elijah is the more vocal of the two while Olivia is quieter – they’re both quite laidback.
“We’re very lucky. The first week after bringing them home was a total whirlwind of feeding, changing nappies and trying to sleep for the odd hour or two before attending to the babies again.
“When one slept, the other was awake and vice-versa.
“It’s like having twins. It’s total luck of the draw who gets the dirty nappies and who feeds the crabbiest one – we share them both equally.
“Over the past three days they’ve fallen into a great routine where they’re feeding every three hours and sleeping at the same time.
“So me and Zoe have started to get more rest.”
Holly was able to be at Elijah’s birth, while she was still heavily pregnant with Olivia. But when it was her turn to give birth, a medical condition and being induced at short notice meant she ended up doing it alone. She said: “Being at Zoe’s elective C-section was great and it all ran smoothly. It also meant I had 10 days to really bond with Elijah before Olivia came along. I cherished that time.
“I was induced a week early, because I had obstetric cholestasis, a liver condition which can cause foetal distress. Once I was induced, my waters broke quickly and it all went much faster than we were expecting.
“My dad was meant to be my birthing partner, because Zoe had just had the C-section so she wasn’t allowed in the hospital because of Covid. But he didn’t make it in time.”
Luckily, all went well and the siblings were introduced to each other later that day. Holly – who like Zoe is now a full-time mum – went on: “There was an instant bond, they lay together staring at each other and touching each other’s faces.
“Now they look for each other when they’re apart and they sleep in the same room.
“They’ll share a cot when they’re old enough and can top and tail. I hope they grow up with the strongest bond.
“Elijah can look out for his little sister and protect her, no one needs to know he’s only 10 days older.
“Elijah was 8lb 4oz, while Olivia was 6lb 13oz, so he’s bigger – but they were both the same length. They look like each other. They both have dark hair and blue eyes. You can tell they’re siblings – they’re adorable.”
Zoe’s daughter Shannon is loving being a big sister.
Holly said: “They are very cuddly babies, so Shannon is making the most of all the cuddles. She lets them hold her finger with their tiny hands.
“They’ve already got such a lovely bond. She’s a great big sister.”
Zoe said: “I’m so glad the pregnancies are over and everything is fine. We have everything we wanted.”
And Holly added: “Christmas this year will be brilliant! We’ll be enjoying the fact we’ve finally got the family we’ve waited so long for.”
