A Hawaii couple received not just one but two special Christmas presents this year with the arrival of their twins on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Sara McGuigan Quintino and Pedro Quintino welcomed their son Robert Ka’ala on Dec. 24 and their daughter Madalena Kahana on Dec. 25, both at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children in Honolulu.
Baby Robert Ka’ala was born at 10:12 p.m., becoming the last baby born at the hospital that day, while baby Madalena Kahana arrived a couple of hours later at 12:04 a.m., making her the first baby born at the hospital on the holiday.
“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.”
MORE: Twin sisters born on different days in different yearsThe new mom, who had an original due date of Dec. 25, said she had a long labor and didn’t start delivering until Sunday night [Christmas Eve] but with the help of their health care team, including Dr. Robb Ohtani at Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children and their midwife Dr. Ye Nguyen, who also served as their doula, she was able to stick to much of their birth plan and deliver without needing a Cesarean section.
“Even though it was a longer delivery, like, as we know, the girl came out two hours after, everyone was so patient and just supportive,” she said. “I didn't know what time it was, but everyone else did, and they just stuck with it for me.”
“It's really funny that they came on separate days. We just always joke that Madalena wanted her own day,” she added.
The Quintinos told “GMA” their twins’ names each hold a special meaning and both of them had a hand in deciding their names.
“The first name of our son is Robert, which is my father and grandfather's name,” Sara McGuigan Quintino said. “And then the first name of our daughter is Madalena … after [the Catholic saint] Mary Magdalene … and then Pedro chose the middle names.”
“Ka’ala is this mountain right next to us here. It’s the highest mountain on O’ahu … and then the girl is Kahana, a beautiful bay more on the east side,” the first-time father continued.
“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 their safety,” he said, adding that they consider their twins as “a gift of God.”
Baby Robert Ka’ala had to spend a few days in the neonatal intensive care unit to get treated for low glucose before getting discharged, but the family is now reunited at home in Waialua and the Quintinos say their babies are quickly getting settled.
“They're so different. I can tell that she's gonna be a little bit more spoiled. And then he just cruises but … they seem to bring each other a lot of comfort,” Sara McGuigan Quintino, whose brothers are also identical twins, said.
The Quintinos said one of the reasons they wanted to share the story of their “Christmas twins” is to show their gratitude for all the people who have helped them along the way.
“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 as it happened [otherwise],” Sara McGuigan Quintino said.
