A couple in Hawaii received double the Christmas gifts in 2023 when they welcomed twins born on different days — one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day. Their father calls them “a gift from God.”
Sara McGuigan Quintino and Pedro Quintino welcomed baby boy Robert Ka’ala on December 24 and baby girl Madalena Kahana on December 25 at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu. While Robert was born at 10:12 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Madalena waited a couple of hours to arrive at 12:04 a.m. on Christmas Day.
“I actually made it to week 39 with the twins and we were at our Friday morning ultrasound and the amniotic fluid was low for baby A, which is the boy, and at that point, his movements were really slow and we got pretty worried about it,” Sara McGuigan Quintino told Good Morning America. “So we went directly from the ultrasound to the hospital to induce labor.”
Though Robert had to spend time in the neonatal intensive care unit for low glucose treatment, both babies have been discharged and reunited at home. Their parents wanted to share the story of their births in order to thank the people who have been there with them throughout the pregnancy.
“What we really want everyone to know … is how thankful we are to our midwife, Dr. Ye, our doctor, Dr. Ohtani, and then all the staff, nurses at Kapi’olani Hospital — from the nursery to labor and delivery to the NICU — none of it would have happened [otherwise],” said Sara.
According to ABC News, the babies’ names have special significance to their parents. Baby Robert is named for Sara’s father and grandfather while Madalena is named for Catholic St. Mary Magdalene. Their middle names are Hawaiian and were chosen by Pedro.
“Ka’ala is this mountain right next to us here. It’s the highest mountain on O’ahu. And I always go to search God up there… And Kahana is a beautiful bay. Beautiful. And I also go there sometimes,” he explained.
He added, “The only real thing I can give to them is to point them north. And they’re gonna know God is the same on the mountain and in the valley and that’s going to make them be a good person…. That’s their safety.”
The couple finds it “fun” that the babies were born on different days, joking that Madalena wanted her own day. They plan to “cherish” their babies because they are aware of how quickly time moves and children grow.
