Inseparable after meeting at school in Venezuela, for best friends Karina Rincon and Kelly Mesa, their friendship turned to romantic love.
But after years of separation, the two only reconnected in 2013 when they both settled in Miami in the US. Both successful biomedical engineers, the two declared their love for each other after only dating men in previous relationships. They eventually married in September 2017.
When it came to starting a family, both Rincon and Mesa agreed that the costly IVF route was not a choice. Instead the couple bought a £72 (about R1 500) home artificial insemination kit and found a sperm donor online.
According to Yahoo News, to better their chances of success, they both tried insemination. As luck would have it, they both fell pregnant on the first try.
Describing their babies as almost twins, they were born three days apart. “I’m really glad we didn’t go into labour at the same time," said Rincon. "That was a worry of ours, but thankfully, being three days apart meant that I could be there when Leo was born and Kelly could when Sophie was."
She added: "We both understood how the other was feeling. It was nothing like it would have been if we'd had babies with men, where one of us wouldn't be facing the limitations and challenges of pregnancy."
The family of four now live in Los Angeles with baby Leo and baby Sophie.
They shared their story to give other couples hope for whom traditional conception is not an option.