Couple with same birthday welcome twins on the same day in rare occurrence

The family of four now share the same birthday on August 18. (Representational)

An American couple celebrating their birthdays on the same day received an unparalleled gift this year — the birth of their newborn twins on the same day. Scierra Blair, 31, and José Ervin, 32, who both share an August 18 birthday, were blessed with a son and a daughter in a remarkable occurrence that unfolded just five minutes past midnight, a little over a week ago, at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital in Ohio.

"It's a blessing," Ervin told PEOPLE. "Best birthday present ever."

The likelihood of both parents and newborns sharing a birthday is an astonishing 1 in 133,000 births, as estimated by the Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children when a similar incident took place last year.

Couple that with the already uncommon rate of twin births — approximately 31 in every 1,000 successful deliveries — and the odds of having newborns on their own shared birthday becomes even more elusive than being struck by lightning.

However, this extraordinary occurrence almost slipped through their fingers. Ervin had to persuade his fiancée to endure a few additional hours of discomfort in order to align the birth with their birthday. Originally expected to welcome their babies on August 28, the couple's plans shifted during a routine checkup on August 17.

Doctors discovered that one of the babies was positioned feet-down in the womb, prompting a caesarean delivery recommendation that very day to avoid complications.

August 18th will forever be a day to celebrate in epic proportions for Scierra Blair, José Ervin Jr. and their twins Aŕia and José III. https://t.co/87r1L5M5Az pic.twitter.com/imTngtyo2w

— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 28, 2023

"Since she was in good health and wasn't stressed, and the kids were in good health and weren't stressed, I thought, 'Why not wait?'" Ervin recounted, his determination to create a unique family memory evident.

Blair, however, recalled her state of hunger and exhaustion, saying, "I was hangry and just wanted it to be over." Ervin's assurance, "It's only a few hours and it will go by real fast," met with her sardonic retort, "Easy for you to say. I'm starving."

Ervin eventually persuaded Blair to wait, though not without a light-hearted demand. "I agreed, but I told them they owed me a week of potato salad," Blair quipped.

As the clock struck midnight and August 18 arrived, doctors welcomed José Ervin III into the world, followed a minute later by the birth of Ar'ria Lannette Ervin. "They were my birthday present, and I'm good with that," Ervin expressed joyfully. "I'm so stoked. I kiss them like 30,000 times a day."