How Is It Possible For A Second-Born Twin To Be 'Older' Than The First? Three Little Words: ‘Daylight Saving Time’

babies
October 19, 2017

When Daylight Saving Time ends in a few weeks, we will all be faced with the minor inconveniences associated with this semi-annual time change. Yes, we get back that “extra” hour’s sleep we lost in the Spring, but beyond that, the impact is minimal. The extent of our challenge lies in remembering to set our clocks back so we don’t show up at church an hour early! 

For most of us, it’s no big deal. After a few days, we are accustomed to the new time and go on with our lives for the next four months until we have to go through it again, only in reverse.

 

For others, however, the time change can cause problems that are not so easily resolved. The Peterson family, for example, had a unique predicament when Emily was in labor with twins on the day before Daylight Saving Time was to end.

As the “witching hour” of 2:00 am approached, the boys had not yet made their appearance. When letting Nature take its course, there really isn't much you can do to hurry things up, so the Petersons had no choice but to wait it out and deal with the issue if, and when, it occurred.

Naturally, questions began to arise that left Emily and Seth wondering how the time change might affect their sons. What if the twins decide to make their entrance around 2:00?

What if one of the boys is born before the clocks are changed back and the other after? What would that mean for “birth order” and who would really be the older of the two boys? 

 

Part one of the mystery was solved when Samuel made his appearance at 1:39 am. Uh-oh! Ronan had 21 minutes to show up if the family was going to escape the thorny issue altogether. The Petersons knew they were in for a close call. Would twin number two make it in time, or would his impending birth force us all to change the way we think of “birth order?”

Watch the video, below, to see the story in its entirety. Find out which Peterson boy is "older" and how the family dealt with this unusual event.

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