Newborns Amelia and Celeste Graham cuddle into each other as they doze, their legs entwined.
They are the first Fife twins to be born in 2025.
The sisters’ bond is strong and when we meet them at just two weeks old, their characters are already shining through.
Mum Dionne Murray says: “Celeste is the wee diva and Amelia’s the placid one!”
We went along to find out how Dionne and partner Duncan Graham are adapting to life as parents of twins and toddler, 18-month-old Freddie.
The babies still spend most of their time sleeping and Dionne, who is predominantly breastfeeding, is able to feed one at a time.
She says: “So far it’s been easier than I thought it would be.
“When the twins are together they soothe each other. When we take one away, especially Amelia, Celeste gets a bit upset.
“They are meant to sleep on their backs but they always turn into each other.”
Duncan explains: “One puts her hand over the other and they interlock their legs.”
Amelia is ‘chilled’ and Celeste the ‘diva’
Amelia’s ‘chilled’ nature and Celeste being more demanding is at odds with what Dionne, 29, and Duncan, 41, expected.
“When they were in my tummy Amelia seemed to be the more active and punchy one and I thought she’s going to be the terror!
“They’ve come out the total opposite.”
Freddie has also exceeded their expectations, taking his big brother role in his stride.
“We thought he might be a bit jealous but he’s been amazing,” says Dionne, who is on maternity leave from her job as a pensions complaints manager.
“He’s so gentle with them.
“He gives them the tiniest wee kisses on their heads.
“If I ask him to give me the baby wipes, he goes and gets them for me.”
The day they were born
The girls were born in Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, on January 16. More than a fortnight into the new year, Dionne and Duncan were surprised to learn they were the first twins of 2025.
Out of 247 Fife babies born in January, there were four sets of twins.
Victoria Hospital staff sent a gift pack including baby toys, bibs and bodysuits to the family’s home in Kelty to celebrate the special arrival.
Amelia, who was born 40 minutes before Celeste, weighed 5lb 6oz and Celeste 5lb 5oz.
As doctors were worried about Celeste’s growth, Dionne was induced a few days before planned.
But with Celeste only an ounce lighter than her sister, their concern was unnecessary.
With the girls happy and healthy, Dionne and Duncan were home just 24 hours after becoming a family of five.
Learning they were expecting twins
Finding out Dionne was pregnant had been unexpected even before it transpired she was pregnant with two.
Dionne recalls: “Duncan was in Germany for the Euros when I found out I was pregnant, so I told him over the phone.
“It was a total surprise.”
When she went for a dating scan at six weeks, construction manager Duncan was away again. This time working in Aberdeen where he is helping to build a new maternity unit.
So again, the shock news was delivered by phone.
“I said to him there’s no point coming back down for the scan as it was just to find out how far on I was,” says Dionne.
“So I was in the room myself when they did the scan.”
Amelia and Celeste are non-identical twins and were in separate amniotic sacs in the womb.
Dionne says: “When they did the scan because they were in two different sacs I could see there were two babies.”
Her mother, who was waiting outside with Freddie, heard her become emotional and was worried something was wrong.
Duncan couldn’t believe there were two
But when the sonographer let her in, she learned the truth.
Dionne says: “She phoned Duncan to tell him and he was like ‘stop winding me up! I don’t believe you!’
“‘You’ll have to let me speak to a midwife.’ So a midwife went on the phone and told him!”
There are no twins on Dionne’s side of the family but on Duncan’s there are two sets, including his 87-year-old grandmother and her sister.
But perhaps twins shouldn’t have been such a surprise.
Duncan says: “We both went to a spiritualist church before Freddie was born and they said you’re going to have twins.”
Pregnancy easier with two than one – until the end
Despite carrying two babies, Dionne found the pregnancy easier than that for Freddie. Until the final weeks.
She says: “With Freddie I had sickness the whole nine months and was in and out of hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum.
“So this pregnancy was really good overall until the end when the pelvis pain kicked in.
“I’d never felt pelvis pain like that, I could hardly walk. When Duncan wasn’t home and I was doing the washing I’d be crawling along the floor trying to hang stuff on radiators.
“I couldn’t drive either towards the end, it was too painful.”
Contractions at 26 weeks
A scare at 26 weeks, when Dionne started having contractions, turned out to be a false alarm.
Worried she was going to deliver early, Dionne was rushed to the premature baby unit at Wishaw General Hospital under blue light.
She was given steroids and magnesium to strengthen the babies in case they were born early.
“That was really scary,” she said. “They said there would be an eight out of 10 survival chance.”
But, thankfully, the contractions abated and Dionne was sent home.
Now Dionne and Duncan are adjusting to life with twins – and a toddler – in the house.
“When you are getting ready to go anywhere, it’s one nappy change, two nappy changes, three nappy changes!” laughs Dionne.
“You’re doing the same thing three times.
“We’ve got a double pram with a buggy board with a seat on the back for Freddie.”
When Duncan is working away Dionne has plenty of family support nearby.
Which will be handy getting her three children and all their paraphernalia downstairs from their upper floor flat.
‘Freddie to the rescue!’
The tiny twins attract attention when the family is out and about.
“When we’ve been out for meals you can hear bairns at other tables saying ‘look there’re two!’,” says Dionne. “Children are fascinated.”
Always keen to have three children, the couple are glad Amelia and Celeste came soon after Freddie.
Duncan says: “The three of them will be like triplets, they’re so close in age.
“There will be only a year between them at school, which is really good for Freddie.
Dionne adds: “He’ll be able to look after them at school. If any boys try to break their hearts, it will be Freddie to the rescue!”
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