Hilary Swank, 48, and Philip Schneider, 45, met on a blind date set up by one of Swank's colleagues. After years of wanting to be a mother, Swank announced in 2022 that she was expecting twins. The babies finally arrived, and Hilary delightedly shared the news with her fan community.
To this day, exactly what causes identical twins to be born is still unknown and happens in approximately 1 in every 250 pregnancies. It is not hereditary, but some factors increase the chances of having non-identical twins. For example, Nigerians are more likely to have them than Japanese.
Additionally, pregnant women over 35 have a higher chance of having non-identical twins, as they are more likely to release multiple eggs during ovulation. In Hilary Swank's case, her grandmother was a twin, as was her husband's grandmother, so the chances of her having twins were higher than average.
Almost 20 years ago, the actress said that having children was always on her mind since she was a child. She added: “I just love kids, and that would be a big thing for me one day when the time is right.” And that moment came in 2023.
When Swank's father, Stephen Michael, was diagnosed with lung transplant rejection and needed another, she became her sole caregiver, taking him to his doctor appointments and supporting him in her daily activities. One year turned into 2, and 5 years later, he made a full recovery.
Unfortunately, in October 2021 her father passed away. A year later, on the Drew Barrymore Show, a visibly emotional Hilary Swank announced that she would give birth to her twins on her late father's birthday, April 16.
Those years had a profound impact on Hilary's life, they said: “I grew incredibly close to him during that time, deepening our relationship and we savored every moment we spent together. He will always be one of my favorite people and not a day goes by that I don't miss him.”
Babies have their own agendas and know when the time is right to make their grand entrance. Hilary shared a photo of herself holding her twins, one on each of her shoulders, as well as informing us that she had had fraternal twins. She captioned it: “It wasn't easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it. “I am writing from pure heaven.”
