The parents of identical twin girls who survived after being prematurely born at just 23 weeks are speaking out, saying that the babies, Imogen and Annabelle, are real-life miracles.
Arriving at 23 weeks and four days to parents Claire and James Weir in Scotland last April, the babies are reportedly the “youngest and smallest surviving twins to be born” in that country, according to their mother.
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And considering that Annabelle was under a pound and Imogen was just over a pound, their harrowing story — which included a four-month stay in the hospital — is quite captivating, as The Sun reported.
“I’d never heard of twins so small surviving,” Claire Weir told the outlet. “It didn’t seem possible for one, let alone two.”
But possible it was, with the ecstatic mom now calling the babies her “little miracles.”
https://www.facebook.com/TambaUK/posts/1231048866930769
Before the babies’ early birth, Claire and James were stunned to learn that they were pregnant with twins, as there was no such history in their families; they were also profoundly excited.
But when Claire’s water broke at just 22 and a half weeks, she was desperate to prolong the birth. As she waited, in the hospital in an effort to hold off as long as possible, she developed sepsis and the babies had to be delivered the next week at Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, in April 2016, the Daily Mail reported.
“I didn’t have a lot of hope,” she said of the delivery, as the infection further complicated the infants’ chance of survival.
The couple were so worried they’d never get to meet the babies that they read them a goodby story before their birth.
“We said goodbye to the girls when they were still inside Claire by reading them a story – Dr Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham,” James said. “We thought it might be the only time but we read it to them each night in hospital after they were born.”
Somehow, though, the babies survived, though they were incredibly fragile and, according to Claire, were so small that each baby fit in the palm of her hand. The road wasn’t easy, but the babies persevered, spending six weeks in incubators, receiving blood transfusions and undergoing surgeries, among other treatments.
While it was certainly a difficult situation, Claire said she and James wanted to give the babies a fighting chance.
'Miracle' youngest twins born at 23 weeks https://t.co/NN3ekp9veH pic.twitter.com/5Fmd26ADJe
— BBC Scotland News (@BBCScotlandNews) January 30, 2017
“Some parents of such premature babies decide not to have them resuscitated and instead spend time with them straight after the birth,” she said. “But we wanted to give our children a chance. We knew we had to try.”
As of January, Imogen and Annabelle were still on oxygen, but will reportedly soon no longer need it. Overall, though, the two are content and a joy for Claire and James.
“They’re very contented and very happy,” Claire said. “They are smiling and laughing and giggling. They are rolling over and starting to eat food.”
The Twins and Multiple Births Association (Tamba) has supported the family, saying that the twins prove that, with good medical care, miracles are possible, the Daily Record reported.
(H/T: The Sun)
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