Two best friends who gave birth just two days apart have detailed the friendship that saw them experience a pregnancy together for the second time.
When Shauna Wheeler, 41, and Ivy Chichester, 37, of Richmond, Virginia, found out they were both pregnant again, they were shocked.
The two moms and best friends previously found out they were pregnant at the same time, with their first children born just a week apart.
But during their second time, the couple say they were met with a truly serendipitous experience.
In an interview with TodayIvy and Shauna described the amazing and heartwarming moment they found out they were both pregnant again.
Shauna Wheeler, 41, and Ivy Chichester, 37, gave birth just two days apart, describing their friendship as “meant to be”.
‘One week before [Ivy] actually confirmed that she was pregnant, she was saying that she might be pregnant. I kind of laughed it off, because I feel like people always think that, but at the time it was too early for her to actually have symptoms,” Shauna said.
Ivy told Today that she knew she was pregnant, adding that she “felt an egg implant.”
She explained that the possibility that she was pregnant came as a surprise and that she had “mixed emotions” about welcoming another child, so Shauna advised her to “give it a couple of days” and “not stress “.
Just a week later, Ivy confirmed that she was pregnant, telling her group of friends who she refers to as her ‘mommy tribe’.
Unbeknownst to Ivy, at the same time, Shauna also suspected that she might have a child on the way.
After confirming that she had a bun in the oven, Shauna shared the news with Ivy.
“I told her, ‘I know you’re worried about that, but I’m hoping that the fact that we’re doing this together can help both of us with our anxiety about being pregnant,’” Shauna said.
And while Ivy was anxious to have another baby, Shauna also had her own fears.
Shauna explained that she feared that she would not be able to carry another pregnancy to term because after having her first child she suffered a miscarriage.
“It was so nice to really have a judgment-free zone where I could talk about what I was feeling and have the mental and emotional support of my people,” Ivy told Today.
“Those conversations helped me get through the difficulties, and because Shauna was pregnant, we were able to support each other on a slightly bigger level because we were both going through it at the same time.”
In an interview with Today, Ivy and Shauna described the amazing and heartwarming moment they found out they were both pregnant.
Shauna scheduled her C-section for December 12, while Ivy planned to give birth sometime in early December.
During the first week of that month, Shauna was at a routine checkup when doctors raised concerns about her high blood pressure.
The next thing she knew, she was sent to the labor and delivery room for monitoring, and soon she was letting her ‘tribe of moms’ know that her baby was on the way.
Shauna gave birth to her baby boy on December 5, and Ivy’s newborn arrived two days later.
‘It felt surreal, but also right. I felt like we were meant to be in the hospital at the same time and that we should have our babies at the same time and that our friendship was meant to be,” Ivy explained.
And her pregnancies aren’t where the best friend’s happy accidents end.
Shauna gave birth to her daughter, now two, a week before Ivy welcomed her son.
In addition to having children of similar ages, Shauna’s birthday is the same day as Ivy’s sister’s birthday.
They trusted each other, making their pregnancy experiences easier, and are hopeful that their children will be lifelong friends.
Plus, the travel agent who booked Shauna’s honeymoon is even related to Ivy’s husband.
Even before the arrival of their new babies, moms-to-be joked about being in the hospital at the same time as giving birth.
But they never imagined giving birth just two days apart and two rooms away.
The besties met in April 2021 through an app known as Peanut, which helps moms meet other moms.
Ivy had just settled in Richmond after moving around a lot for her sales job.
Due to her new move, she felt lonelier than ever and wanted to find relationships with other moms, and then Shauna came along, who she ‘just clicked’ with.
A little over a year later, the moms have a “village” of six female friends who are also moms, all the same age and all women of color, whom they describe as “everything.”
Ivy added that the relationships have been “so impactful to my mental health.”
And after giving birth to both sets of their children at the same time, they are hopeful that their children will follow in their footsteps and become lifelong friends.
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