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Identical twin nurses help deliver identical twin baby girls

It was the first time the sisters had ever teamed up at work.
/ Source: TODAY

As a pair of identical twin girls entered the world last month, they were greeted by identical twin nurses.

Identical twin nurses Tori Howard and Tara Drinkard helped deliver identical twin sisters Emma and Addison Williams.
Identical twin nurses Tori Howard and Tara Drinkard helped deliver identical twin sisters Emma and Addison Williams. Courtesy of Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center

Brannan and Rebecca Williams, who welcomed daughters Addison and Emma on Sept. 25, couldn’t believe their luck when they learned Tori Howard and Tara Drinkard would be in the operating room.

“We found out 10 minutes before Rebecca was wheeled into the OR for an emergency C-section," Brannan Williams told TODAY Parents. “I couldn’t believe it. What are the chances? It’s crazy.”

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Drinkard and Howard — both 26 — were just as excited about the special assignment.

It marked the first time that the siblings had ever teamed up in the delivery room.

Drinkard recently moved to the labor and delivery unit at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center in Georgia, while Howard has worked in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit for five years.

"We knew we'd cross paths in the delivery room eventually," Howard told TODAY Parents in a written statement. "But we never imagined that our first experience would be with twins girls!"

Identical twins Emma and Addison Williams
Identical twins Emma and Addison WilliamsCourtesy of Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center

After a three-week stay in the NICU, Addison and Emma, who were born premature at 32 weeks, are heading home. The Williams family plans to stay in touch with Howard and Drinkard.

“They have given us so much good advice,” said Williams, 35. “The biggest thing they told us is to remember that the girls are individuals and even though they look alike, that doesn’t make them the same person.”

Rebecca and Brannan Williams hold their baby twin girls.
Rebecca and Brannan Williams hold their baby twin girls.Courtesy of Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center

Williams said the newborns already have distinct personalities. Addison is the “diva,” while Emma is is “the chill one.”

But Williams predicts the newborns will be best friends just like Drinkard and Howard.

“When they do bath time, they reach for each other and hold hands,” he told TODAY Parents. “It’s pretty sweet to watch.”