One of the four sets of twins born in September was courtesy of Morgan Wise, who gave birth to Ingrid and David on September 22.
Wise, from Waipukurau, said she was unaware that twins ran in her family until after she was told she was expecting.
"It was a surprise when we were told we were having twins," she said.
"It wasn't until after we found out I was pregnant that my grandfather went through some old family records and found out his mum had given birth to two separate pairs of fraternal twins."
Wise, who has two other children – aged 4 and 1 – said Ingrid and David were brought into the world just a couple of minutes apart after an emergency caesarean section.
The number of C-sections in September was 62 – an increase on both August (49) and July (50).
"My family had been teasing me that I was pregnant with twins and the looks on everybody's faces when we told them it actually was twins was absolutely priceless," Wise said.
"I don't know why there has been an increase in the number of twins recently – just a complete coincidence I think."
Hawke's Bay District Health Board obstetrician and clinical head of maternity department Kirsten Gaerty said the risk of complications and early labour is higher with twins, so maternity care is shared with a specialist obstetrician, as well as a midwife.
"The number of twins born in Hawke's Bay is on average about 1 per cent of pregnancies, which is the same as for the rest of the country," she said.
"In September, the overall birth rate was higher than average though."
The number of overall births also increased in September, with a total of 206 babies born (102 girls and 104 boys).
"The average number of babies born a month in Hawke's Bay for 2020 has been about 170," Gaerty added.
August saw a total of 184 babies born – 88 girls and 96 boys – while July had 166 babies born (73 girls and 93 boys).
Not only are babies being born more frequently, but statistics show they are also getting heavier over time in the region.
The biggest baby in September was 5.43kg.
Wise said Ingrid was 2.5kg, while David was 2.21kg.
The smallest baby born in September was 1.4kg.
