Miracle Twins ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ Born Five Days Apart sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ Despite Doctors Saying They Were ‘Too Young To sᴀᴠᴇ’

Miracle Twins ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ Born Five Days Apart  sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ Despite Doctors Saying They Were ‘Too Young To sᴀᴠᴇ’

The pair are among the youngest to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ in Britain. ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ twins who were born five days apart have beaten the odds to stay ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ.

    The pair — delivered after just 23 weeks — are among the youngest to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ in Britain. Dolly weighed just 1lb 1oz when she was born at 23 weeks and one day. Five days later Albert arrived, at 1lb 6oz.

Her pregnancy had been developing fine, when she went into early labour at just 22 weeks and six days. ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs at Darent Valley Hospital said the babies were too young to sᴀᴠᴇ.

Shona, 27, said: “They said there was nothing they could do for us and sorry that we had ʟᴏsᴛ our babies as they was under the 23 weeks. They had no facilities to help if they arrived. They would just ᴘᴀss them to us once they had been born and they then put us in a room for this to happen.”

Miraculously, despite her waters ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs starting the tots did not arrive. The pregnancy had reached 23 weeks – one week sʜʏ of the 24-week ʟᴇɢᴀʟ ʟɪᴍɪᴛ Fᴏʀ ᴀʙᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴs in England and Wales. Doctors said they were willing to intervene and there was a sʟɪᴍ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ they could sᴀᴠᴇ them.

The couple agreed ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs could ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛ their babies if they were born ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ. They gave Shona a steroid injection to help ʙᴏᴏsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡɪɴs’ ᴅᴇʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇ ʟᴜɴɢs ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴇɴᴛ ʙʏ ᴀᴍʙᴜʟᴀɴᴄᴇ to Brighton Hospital. The couple were warned that the babies would not stand a chance if they were born during the journey.

Then to everyone’s surprise, Shona’s labour stopped. ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs said she could deliver the second twin at any time – and may even go full term. Five days later, Albert arrived following a natural delivery and was also taken to intensive care.  At six weeks Dolly needed sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ to fix a hole in her heart, and both twins have had sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ on their eyes.

After 4 months Albert, the stronger of the twins came home. Then after months Dolly also left hospital to back home.

Dr Asma Khalil, a spokesman for Tamba (Twins and Multiple Births Association), said: “The fact that these babies are now doing well is incredible. Twin pregnancies delivered at 23 weeks would have far poorer chances of sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀ sɪɴɢʟᴇᴛᴏɴ pregnancy.    Of babies born at 23-24 weeks, only about 50 per cent would sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ and 50 per cent of the survivors would have some sort of disability. It would be fair to say that in circumstances where twins are born this early, most doctors would be preparing the family for the worst. So the fact these babies are now doing well, months on, is incredible.”       

The twins are now home with parents Shona Jeffery, 27, and Darren Turrall, 24.