SALINAS, Calif. — Two California siblings share a special and rare lifelong connection after being born just minutes apart but on different days, months and years.
Staff members at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas delivered Alfredo Trujillo at 11:45 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2021.
Minutes later, his twin sister Aylin Trujillo was delivered, but her birthday falls on a different day and year. Aylin was delivered at exactly midnight Jan. 1, 2022.
Alfredo weighed in at six pounds, one ounce, while his younger sister, Aylin weighed in at five pounds,14 ounces.
Being born as a twin is rare, only encompassing about 3% of all births in the United States each year, according to data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The Natividad Medical Center reports that the chance of twins being born in different years is even rarer — estimated to be one in two million.
Dr. Ana Abril Arias, a family doctor at Natividad Medical Group, said in a statement the delivery was "definitely one of the most memorable deliveries of [her] career."
Fatima Madrigal, the mother of the twins, said she was surprised and happy that Aylin arrived at midnight.
“It’s crazy to me that they are twins and have different birthdays,” Madrigal said in a statement.
The twins will now head home to the city of Greenfield to be introduced to their three older siblings, the hospital reports. Aylin's birth marks the first baby born in Monterey County in 2022.