Two mothers are celebrating the arrival of their identical twin sons after a pioneering and emotional fertility journey that allowed them both to be biologically connected to their babies.
A Dream of Equal Parenthood
Holly Leighton, 26, and Emma Robinson, 34, from Peterlee, County Durham, fell in love after meeting at a charity music gig in 2018. They always dreamed of becoming equal parents, but as a same-sex couple, they knew the path would be complex. The pair discovered the concept of 'shared motherhood', a process where one partner carries a pregnancy conceived using the other partner's egg.
"We hadn't heard of shared motherhood before we embarked on this journey together," said Holly, a domestic abuse worker. "People are fascinated to hear how I was pregnant with Emma's biological babies. The fact that we have both been involved makes it incredibly special."
Emma, a care assistant, added: "We are so pleased to have them, but it wasn't an easy journey." Knowing they faced costly IVF treatment with no guarantee of success, the couple worked extra hours and saved every penny to fund their dream.
The Rollercoaster Journey to Pregnancy
They decided Holly would carry the baby using Emma's eggs. They selected an anonymous sperm donor whose physical characteristics resembled them both and who was open to future contact when the children turn 16. In March 2025, Emma had her eggs harvested, resulting in two quality embryos.
One embryo was implanted into Holly's womb at the London Women’s Clinic in Darlington in April 2025. After an agonising two-week wait, a pregnancy test revealed a positive result. "We couldn't stop crying. It was so emotional that we had done this together," Holly recalled.
Their joy was shattered just five weeks later when Holly experienced bleeding. Doctors feared a miscarriage and told them to go home and grieve. However, a scan at their fertility clinic revealed a miracle: the single embryo had split. Holly was not just pregnant, but pregnant with identical twins.
"We couldn't believe it," Emma said. "We had gone to the clinic fearing the worst. Now we were being told that we were expecting two babies. It was like a miracle."
A High-Risk Pregnancy and Early Arrival
The pregnancy became high-risk as identical twins are susceptible to Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). While they avoided TTTS, one twin, Finley, was much smaller than his brother, Hudson, and had a dangerously low heartbeat.
"It was devastating news," Emma explained. "Finley might not survive. Every scan we had, we didn't know what we were going to hear." Holly also suffered from dehydration and developed gestational diabetes, spending much of her time in hospital.
Originally scheduled for a caesarean at the end of November, events accelerated on 13 November 2025. At 34 weeks pregnant, Holly felt severe pains. A scan at North Tees Hospital showed concern for Finley's heartbeat, leading to an emergency delivery that same evening.
Hudson was born weighing 4lb 4oz, and Finley a tiny 3lb 8oz. "Holly had finished work at 5pm and they had been born by 11.08pm. It was a whirlwind," Emma said.
Now, having enjoyed their first Christmas as a family of four, both mothers are looking forward to 2026. Holly reflected: "It feels amazing to be a family at last. We look at the twins every day and can’t believe that we are actually mums at last. To have shared the pregnancy together has made it seem even more precious."
