The couple ʙᴇᴀᴛ ᴏᴅᴅs of half-a-million-to-one with Lewis and Kyle, 23; Finn and Jude, 21; and now Isla and Rowan, who turned nine on 29 May. The newest twins will start at Langbank Primary, Renfrewshire – the school where all their siblings went.
Karen Rodger and husband Colin from of Langbank, Renfrewshire were ‘over the moon’ to welcome Rowan and Isla into their family on May 29 at the Southern General Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟin Glasgow. The girls, who are not ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ, were delivered by ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, with Rowan arriving first at 11.21am weighing 5lbs 8oz, followed two minutes later by Isla weighing 6lbs. It means the couple now have their first twin girls – having already got four twin boys. The fact that they became ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with twins for the third time, with two girls called Rowan and Isla, was a miracle. Rowan arrived first at a weight of 5lbs 8oz followed two minutes later by Isla at 6lbs. Parents Karen and Colin Rodger were told the odds of having three sets of twins were 500,000-1 when they found out they were expecting. Karen , 41, was convinced the ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs were right to think it was a rather unlikely prospect. Karen said: “I just could not believe it. It never crossed my mind that it would be twins again”.
The pair decided to try for another baby after Karen’s 40th birthday. Karen said:” After having Finn and Jude, I didn’t feel that my family was complete, I don’t know why, but I did. I turned 40 and I thought, if I’m going to do it, I should do it now. I spoke to my husband and we both thought we’d quite like another one so that was it and, one month later, I was pregnant.” Karen found out during a sᴄᴀɴ six weeks into the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏand sent a text message with the news to her husband Colin. She said:” He thought I was joking and immediately wrote back to say ‘this is not funny’. I had to explain that it really was true. I still haven’t really taken it on board because I was convinced I was having two boys. The girls are only a few days old so I’m still getting my head around the fact that there will be more girls in the house, people to sᴛᴇᴀʟ my sparkly shoes and my make-up.”
Before they arrived at Southern General Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟin Glasgow, the couple from Langbank, Renfrewshire, chose not to find out the ⓢⓔⓧ of the infants. Karen said: ” I was convinced I was having two boys. I’m still getting my head around the fact that there will be more girls in the house – people to sᴛᴇᴀʟ my sparkly shoes and make-up. I still haven’t really taken it on board because I was convinced I was having two boys.” Mr. Rodger described the arrival of Rowan and Isla, who were born at the Southern General in Glasgow, as ‘life-changing’. Although daunted by the new challenge of parenting a total of six children, he said: “Karen is so great at being a mother and a wife that I’m sure we’ll get through it.”
Karen added: “The past five years have been the quickest of my life. It will be sad in a way to hand them over, as someone else becomes the parent, as it were, for a third of their day. But they are certainly ready for it, more so than any of the boys were at that age. I can remember dreading the start of school with all of them, wondering if they’d be okay. But the girls seem so grown up. Lewis and Kyle are both in further education, Lewis at Glasgow Caledonian University and Kyle at Kelvin College, and Finn and Jude are in sixth year at school. Everyone has gone to Langbank Primary and I had one of the boys’ primary one blazers that fitted the girls, but I didn’t know who to give it to so I bought new uniforms for both “.
All the twins are non-ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴄᴀʟ and while they are really close, Karen says Isla and Rowan are polar opposites in looks and character. She said: “They couldn’t be more different, Isla has long dark hair and Rowan has short blonde hair. Isla is the one who’s confident when we’re out and will speak to people first. But while Rowan is a bit shyer in public, when she’s comfortable in her surroundings she’s as mischievous as can be.”
