Yet another identical/fraternal question

So a recent subject inspired me to finally ask the question here on twinstuff: do you think my boys are identical or fraternal. Here's a little info :
My boys were born at 28 weeks (2 lbs., 3 oz. & 2 lbs., 15 oz.) due to IUGR and preeclampsia.
We had been told all along that they were identical by our OB and perinatologist.
We get 50/50 reactions from friends, family and strangers. Half say identical, half say fraternal.
We know that having an IUGR baby can cause even identical twins to look considerably different.
This is our way of getting non-biased reactions and being really, really cheap due to not being able to afford the DNA test yet

Here's some photos of the boys:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40390990@N03/4177684780/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40390990@N03/4177685634/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40390990@N03/4176925145/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40390990@N03/4177703180/

Thanks for your opinions!!!

 

It's hard to say, but I think it's pretty certain that they are ADORABLE! ^_^

If I had to guess, I'd say ID.

 

Why did your OB and Peri say "ID?" Because there are certain things that are for sure ID.

I think they look fraternal ardon:

 

I think they look ID (and really adorable! :wub with different head shapes.

 

Ditto this response and again so adorable!! My girls are identical but their heads have slightly different shapes!

 

I have no idea, but, I will say they are adorable :wub: That I am sure of!

 

So here's a few tidbits about our journey to becoming extremely proud parents of two cutie pies:
I had at least 3 ultrasounds done by the time I was 8 weeks pregnant; we were seeing a reproductive specialist & successfully conceived after months of fertility drugs and 2 rounds of IUI :Clap: All 3 ultrasounds only showed one little embryo with one little yolk sac. Well, when I went to my regular OB a couple of weeks later, she saw two little babies on the screen. She said she didn't see a membrane at all and that could mean they were mono/mono so she sent me to a perinatalogist. The peri did an ultrasound at 14 weeks and finally saw a 'swiss cheese membrane' as she called it. She said it was paper thin with holes in it so it could puncture at any time. Over the next several weeks, she had us scared to death that our babies had TTTS as my baby B (Will) wasn't getting enough blood flow and his numbers didn't look too good week after week. Well, it turns out that he was IUGR and there was not TTTS involved at all. Sooo, long story short the fact that all of the doctors told us that our boys were mono/di and that the membrane was so hard to find and so thin leads us to believe that there is little chance that the boys are anything but identical. But I suppose there is still an extremely small chance that they could have been di/di with a membrane that fused together extremely well. My gut tells me that is a very long shot, but again, I guess there's always a possibility :unknw:

Their facial features are almost all alike except their eyes, hairlines and foreheads. They even have the same weird extremely long eyelash on their left eyes. But Will has a few little things that Andy doesn't like a freckle on his behind and a birthmark on his right leg. Can ID twins have different markings like that?

 

Not very good at this - guessing ID?? and very adorable!

 

Definitely identical. They look alike, but one just looks less plump in the face. I offer my opinion as an IUGR mommy who has spent a lot of time staring at my two kiddos looking for resemblances. And initally, the head size of mine really threw me off, but now I see many resemblances in them (they are fraternal).

 

I say identical. Their cute butt chins did it for me. Either way very handsome lads!!!

Anyways, my ID boys have a few different things. Creed has a birthmark on his leg (thank God, lol). Also Laud's dimples are way more pronounced although lately at 18 months they seem to be a lot more alike. Their head shapes are very different and have been since birth. They also have some mirror image traits like their hair falling to opposite sides.

We used www.dnasolutions.com for $99 when they were 4 months old and were so glad to have the confirmation.

 

If the membrane was hard to find, they ARE identical. Were they in one black hole on ultrasound or two black holes?

They ARE identical. I wouldn't even test.

 

Well, I think they look fraternal. But if they were mono/di, then they are definitely ID, unless the doctors were wrong about that of course. How's that for being no help whatsoever? :laughing: But they are adorable either way!

 

I'm usually pretty good at this but this is what I was thinking too! :lol:

However, the u/s at the RE is pretty accurate, I'm assuming it was a vag u/s, at 6 wks we were able to see both babies, at first we could only find one heartbeat but baby B was hiding behind baby A, and finally after 20 mins or so we could see the HB, we just couldn't hear it yet. So if you had 3 u/s by 8 wks and no second baby yet, there's a higher chance they are ID!

I'd have to spring the $99 for a test, it would drive me crazy! :lol: They are for sure adorable though! :wub:

 

Thanks to all for your input on my ID/FR question. We are 99% sure they are identical, but since Will was IUGR, his looks will differ from Andy's just enough to tell them apart in the future (which we're all kind of glad about ) Hopefully after the holidays, we'll have enough pennies to scrape together to do the home DNA test and know for sure. We'll keep you all updated if we get a chance to test. Thanks again for all of the compliments on my two little monkeys! Happy Holidays!!!! resent: resent: resent:

 

I am going to guess fraternal on this one. Super cute too!

 

With the doctors thinking yours were mono-di, and by how similar they look, I'd skip the test and confidently say identical.

My MZ girls were di-di, and we assumed fraternal since they looked different and were a pound different at birth. Different personalities, different freckles, different fac shape. But we got asked all the time if they were identical, so at 15 months we tested. MZ! Amazing how different weight can make a baby look to his or her parents!

Congrats, they are very handsome little guys.

 

We thought our boys were mono/di throughout the pregnancy also. Ryan had IUGR and we were monitored for TTTS. At birth they discovered two placentas fused. We thought they looked very different and played the Twinstuff ID or frat game for about 16 months. My Christmas gift last year? A DNA test proving DH wrong...the boys are ID. Ryan has a birthmark and Jake has a freckle on his face.

Anyway, your boys are super adorable and I hope you share more pics of them! They put a smile on my face!!

 

Hi, My vote is yes ID, but def. super cuties!! By the way I live in Mobile too!