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Like most parents, when Alanna gave birth to her twin boys, she just wanted them to be happy and healthy. Since all of the scans showed that they were perfect in size and health, Alanna was pretty confident everything was going smoothly. Considering how special her twins were, things were better than she could have expected.

Facebook/Alanna Merrie

Paul and Alanna Merrie are a couple living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Alanna is a doctor and Paul is a personal trainer. Between their jobs, and their one-year-old daughter, Ayla, the young couple is kept pretty busy. But after suffering from a tragedy, being kept busy by their daughter was a blessing.

Facebook/Alanna Merrie

Before the couple had their daughter Ayla, Alanna had been pregnant with another child. After delivery, they named the little girl Aubyn. Unfortunately, after only a few days, Aubyn passed away. After a few years, and an active toddler, the Merrie's were grateful for the happiness in their lives.

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The couple found out that Alanna was pregnant again. In fact, they were expecting twins! Considering they both had a family history of twins, the couple wasn't surprised at the news. Alanna had uncles who were twins and Paul had twins in his family, as well. But just because they expected it, didn't mean that they were prepared.

Daily Record

To make sure that her pregnancy was going as it was supposed to, Alanna frequently went to for check-ups. Shona Finch, the manager for maternity at NHS Lothian, said, “Twins can often be smaller when they are born." Fortunately, Alanna's pregnancy was progressing very well. “We were monitoring their growth throughout Alanna’s pregnancy so we knew they were both going to be healthy weights," said Finch. The twins weight was turning out to be a bit more than healthy.

South West News Service

It was quickly revealed that the twins were going to be bigger than average. Every day that passed, and every scan that was done, showed the twins continuous growth. “The scans said they were good sizes and the midwives told me they were growing well,” said Alanna. “You just don't expect it though.” Once strangers began making strange comments, Alanna realized how big she was truly getting.

South West News Service

“I did have a huge bump, though, and total strangers kept coming up to me asking whether I was going to give birth on the spot as I was that big,” Alanna said. Alanna's pregnancy was different than most, and she realized that when she ran into the trouble of having to buy clothes for the babies.

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Since newborns grow so fast, buying clothes for them can be a bit difficult. Unfortunately, for Alanna, she ran into this problem before she even had them. “I didn't buy them anything because I didn't want to risk having to take things back because they didn't fit them,” she recalled. Soon enough, it was time to find out how big her babies actually were.

South West News Service

Alanna was scheduled for a C-section, and everything went just as it was planned. But as prepared as she was, nothing could have prepared her for the size of her twins. With a combined weight of 16lb 13oz, the twins were the size of a six-month-old. Everyone was shocked. “The staff at the hospital were saying to me that they have never delivered twins this big before,” Alanna said. It appeared that the Merrie twins were record breakers.

South West News Service

Before the Merrie twins were born, the largest twins born in Scotland were Mya and Ollie Kennedy in 2010, with a combined weight of 15lb 14oz. Their record was demolished by Troy and Kaius Merrie. “A combined weight of 16lb 13oz is very unusual and probably the heaviest set of twins we have ever delivered in Lothian,” said Finch. But the twins weren't just special because of their weight.

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“What’s funny is Kaius looked so much like our first daughter Aubyn when he came out,” said Alanna, remembering the daughter they lost. She felt like it was a sign. “One of the community midwives said to me that in having twins we were somehow getting her back to us and the boys were bringing our family together.” Paul was more than happy to have twin boys.

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“It's always great for any lad to have a boy. We all know boys can get into a bit of trouble but we'll keep them busy - a lot of sports will do them good," said Paul. “We have a lovely little daughter and now that we have boys, it's a complete package."

Facebook/Paul Merrie

A week after having the twins, Paul and Alanna were able to bring them home. “They lost a little of their body weight over the first couple of days, which is normal, but they are doing really well,” said Alanna. “They are quite chilled out and they love a cuddle.” Luckily, Alanna had the right idea when she decided not to buy any clothes.

Facebook/Paul Merrie

“They don't really fit into newborn clothes," said Alanna. “They have quite big feet and big hands." Other than running into logistical challenges with having such large twins, Alanna was completely happy with how healthy they were. But it was time to find out if the twins were record breakers.

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“I was trying to find out if they are the heaviest,” said Alanna in an interview. “The records office is researching this for us and should be able to confirm it, either way, this week.” Even if they do not break any records, the Merrie twins are definitely special.