Twins born holding hands share remarkable bond

Jenna and Jillian were born holding hands two years ago. (Akron Children's Hospital.)

Two-year-old twins Jenna and Jillian first made headlines after they were pictured holding hands during their birth. Now the Orrville, Ohio, toddlers are in the news again as their mother shares details of their remarkable bond.

“If one twin is crying, the other will try to find a way to comfort her, like going to find a pacifier or rubbing the other’s back or offering a hug,” mom Sarah Thistlethwaite told PEOPLE. “They always take care of each other.”

The twins were born via Cesarean section at 37 weeks after Thistlethewaite had been placed on bedrest for 57 days. Doctors were initially concerned because the twins were found to be “monoamniotic,” which means they shared the same amniotic sac, PEOPLE reported.

“It’s the rarest form of twinning and it carries the most risk,” Dr. Melissa Mancuso, director of the fetal treatment center at Akron Children’s Hospital, told PEOPLE. “Because they’re sharing the same amniotic sac, their umbilical cords can become tangled as they’re growing and moving which can cut off blood supply to one or both twins.”

The twins were born perfectly healthy and soon began showing signs that their close bond would continue outside the womb.

“Sometimes if my husband goes to the store, he’ll take one twin and I’ll keep the other,” Thistlethwaite told PEOPLE. “When that happens, they both get really upset and ask for each other. They’re definitely really close. They’re like two peas in a pod.”

Thistlethwaite said the family tries to buy two of everything to minimize competition over a favorite toy.

“Twins have this special bond and I can’t wait to watch them grow up and be best friends,” Thistlethwaite told PEOPLE.