If it seems like you're seeing double more frequently, it's not just in your head - at least when it comes to twins living in the local area.
The Associated Press reported in January that the number of twin births has risen dramatically over the last three decades, with 1 in every 30 babies born in the U.S. in 2009 being a twin, an increase over the 1 in 53 rate in 1980.
Part of the rise is due to an unknown cause of women who become pregnant in their 30s being more likely to have twins.
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This photo, taken on Labor Day 2011, shows (from left) Shannon Davis of Tyrone with her twin daughter, Addison, and her sister, Sarah Latchford, with Davis' son, Brenson. Addison and Brenson are twins.
The rest of the increase is said to be due to the use of fertility drugs and treatments.
But having twins is also proven to run in families, and local cases are no exception.
Jolene Golden-Myers, 30, of Summerhill thought having twins was common because there are so many sets in her family - more than 10 sets on both sides, that is.
Golden-Myers, herself having a twin sister, Justine, also gave birth to twins - Avery and Adelyn. But the fact that Golden-Myers' mother, Jane, is also a twin is what really "turns heads," she said.
"It's such a unique situation with three generations of identical twins in a row," she added.
Golden-Myers said that she definitely hears of more twins being born now, just through reading the birth announcements in the newspaper.
But even with her family history, she said she was "in shock" when she found out she was going to have twins after being told it usually skips a generation.
The same can't be said for Shannon Davis, 29, of Tyrone and an identical twin, who said she always knew she'd also have twins.
"It's so cool watching them and being like, wow, that was my sister and I," she said. "No one can explain that bond."
Davis' chances were heightened because she went through in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. Her sister, Sarah Latchford, also had fertility issues and went through intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatments, but only had one child.
Doing things alike since childhood, the twin sisters even went to the same doctors.
"I think it was very rewarding for them, that they helped us both with our miracles," Davis said.
Availability and insurance coverage for fertility medication varies, but their use has become widespread since the 1990s.
Nanette M. Anslinger, 38, of Altoona and mother of 12-year-old twin girls Megan and Maria, is still thankful that her fertility meds were covered by insurance.
Though she drove to Hershey Medical Center every four days for treatment, and was "devastated" when it didn't work the first month, she was happy when her status went from having issues to having twins.
"My husband, he dropped to the floor," she said.
While giving birth, Anslinger also encountered some issues. Megan was delivered a month earlier than Maria, resulting in Maria being heavier and about a foot taller than Megan today.
Megan also contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and had to be hospitalized for 15 days even after Maria had been allowed to be taken home.
But now that the girls are both healthy, Anslinger said.
"They had a few complications in the beginning, but they're both normally developing girls so we're definitely blessed," she said.
Anslinger and her husband, Max, have made a lot of sacrifices to keep the twins happy and healthy. They currently work two jobs each, and Anslinger said it'd be "unbelievably hard to handle" if they lived any other way. Worrying about money for back-to-school clothes has replaced the financial stress of going through 500 diapers a month and making 32 bottles each month while they were babies.
"I don't remember any of it, just from pictures," Anslinger says of the twins' first three months. "It was all a blur."
The same goes for Nancy Behe, 39, of Ebensburg, except the haziness was due to taking care of two sets of twins, with all four babies under age 3.
"That first year or two, I don't remember much of it," Behe said. "There was not much sleep going on, and we were constantly doing something from morning to night."
Behe first had Luke and Logan, who are now 7 years old, and then Lauren and Leah, who are now 5 years old.
"If the girls had been boys, I don't know what I would have done," she said.
Behe had both sets of twins after age 30, raising her chances for two babies. She said she had heard there were more twins being born now, and now when she meets other mothers of twins, they can usually share an "instant bond."
"You know what each other has gone through," she said. "When you see a double stroller go by, you pick up on it quicker."
Jamie McClellan, 35, of Blandburg said she never really paid attention to twins before hers were born. Even though her doctor told her she was more likely to have twins being older than 30, she was still surprised when she got the news.
"I knew it was a risk, bit I didn't think it would be a reality," she said.
The hardest part about being a mother of her young twins, 9-month-old Piper and Payton, is juggling time.
"I try so hard to give each child their own individual attention, but it's hard," she said. "I struggle with that, and babies need that from their mom."
Natalie Barlick-Reed, 41, of Altoona also has to juggle the time spent with her 5-year-old twins Laura and Derek with her four other children.
"My husband and I call it divide and conquer," she said.
After being pregnant with the twins, Barlick-Reed definitely notices them more, and said close to 10 people who have had twins work with her in the emergency room at Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College.
Her twins are "very different," Barlick-Reed said, with Laura being "the dancer" and Derek being "the comedian."
Being a twin herself, Golden-Myers said she knows how important individuality will be for Adelyn and Avery.
"I don't want them to feel like they're a pair all the time," she said. "I'm trying to raise them the way they want to think, not the way their sister thinks. I think that's very important."
Mirror Staff Writer Beth Ann Downey is at 946-7520.
