Twins have ID bands to tell them apart
TWINS Alfie and James Harkness are so hard to tell apart that they have to wear different coloured wristbands so people know which is which.
Their mother Emma came up with the idea because everyone kept getting the three-year-olds mixed up.
But thanks to the bands the identical twins never take off, one is no longer confused for the other.
Mrs Harkness, who lives with husband John, 38, in Wolverhampton, said: “Alfie wears the black bracelet and James wears the green one.
“All our family and friends know which colour each twin wears, and now no-one mixes them up.
“I can just about tell them apart, but it’s even difficult for me sometimes.”
Being identical meant far worse problems for the boys before their birth.
When Mrs Harkness was 22 weeks pregnant, doctors discovered the pair
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had rare Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, which meant shared blood vessels in the womb were delivering too many nutrients to one, and too few to the other. The condition is lifethreatening for identical twins.
By the time it was diagnosed the unborn pair were seriously ill. Their only hope was an operation in the womb using a laser to separate blood vessels to even out the blood flow.
Mrs Harkness said: “There was only a 50 per cent chance that they would both survive. It was so awful to know what the chance was.”
But the 40-minute op at Birmingham Womens’ Hospital was a success.
Mrs Harkness said: “It was such a relief. It was touch and go for the following week...and we didn’t know whether both had survived at first.
“But then a scan showed their heartbeats were strong.”
The twins were eventually born by caesarian at 32 weeks, Alfie weighing 3lb 13oz and James 3lb 10oz.
Mrs Harkness said: “It was wonderful to be a mother at last. The twins were small but at least they had survived.”
The boys were allowed home after three weeks in hospital and since then have gone from strength to strength.
Mrs Harkness said: “They were so identical that it almost killed them in the womb, and it’s meant it’s been difficult to tell the boys apart.
“They have this incredible bond. They do everything together – they are like two peas in a pod.
“They play football together and they even sleep together side by side in one bed. They just don’t want to be apart.”