WINNEMUCCA.—Thursday, February 25, was a day that Dr. Bradford Granath will never forget.  The Winnemucca family physician not only delivered two babies within the same minute, but the two babies were cousins.

That Thursday, Louann Logan showed up at Humboldt General Hospital at 5 a.m. The previous Tuesday had been her due date and she was anxious to get her induction process underway.  Little did she know that her sister, Barbara Logan, also nearly nine months pregnant, had been laboring since 2 a.m. that same morning; she showed up at the hospital at 6 a.m. in the room next door.

“We were calling each other on our cell phones,” said Barbara, whose due date was March 4. “We were asking how far along we were and what was happening; it was pretty funny.”

It got even funnier—and more interesting—as the two women continued to progress at about the same rate.

Dr. Granath broke Louann’s water at about 10:30 a.m. hoping to get her ahead of Barbara, but it was to no avail. The two babies seemed determined to make their entrance at exactly the same time—and they did.

Areleah Jensen, Barbara’s daughter, was born at 1:38 p.m. Following a mad dash by Dr. Granath to the next room, Ainara Garcia, daughter of Louann and Gabriel Garcia, also was born

at 1:38 p.m.  Areleah weighed 6 pounds, 4.5 ounces and was 19.5 inches long; Ainara weighed 7 pounds, 4.5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Both babies join two sisters at home in Battle Mountain.

Barbara and Louann say they discovered they were pregnant at about the same time; a third sister, Barbara’s twin, is due in September. That will make grandbaby number 15 for their mother.

Maternal grandparents for both girls are Gerry and Paddie Logan of Battle Mountain. Paternal grandparents for Ainara are Jose and Delia Garcia, also of Battle Mountain.

The two women agreed that Dr. Granath may have been even more surprised than they were at the dual delivery.

“I think we were fighting over who would get to deliver first,” said Louann, “but Barbara went first by a couple of seconds and my nurse was yelling, ‘Dr. Granath, get in here.’”

Louann said her nurse encouraged her not to push until Dr. Granath could make it in. “Thank goodness he was quick,” she said, “because she was ready to be born.”

Barbara added, “I was expecting to go into labor early, but not on the same day.” Then she quipped with a smile, “I must have been jealous because Louann was going to have her baby and I wanted to have mine too.”

For more information on Humboldt General Hospital or its obstetrics department, please contact the hospital at (775) 623-5222, ext. 142, to speak with a nurse or to schedule a free tour.