A mother in Leicestershire, U.K. has given birth to twins who don't share a common birth date. The twins were born five days apart.
The twins Axel and Alfie Perkins, were born prematurely at 24 weeks after their mother Emma Day experienced premature labor. But after Axel was born , Day's cervix closed unexpectedly. Axel weighed just about 1lb after delivery, while Alfie weighed less than 2lb.
Doctors who inspected were amazed to find Axel's placenta and Alfie still stuck inside the womb.
"I had to wait five more days before I went into labour again. I went down to be by Axel's incubator while I was still pregnant with Alfie. It was so strange to be there with my newborn son, while I was still pregnant," Daily Mail quoted Emma Day of Barwell in Leicestershire as saying.
When Day was just 21 weeks pregnant, her water broke and was immediately rushed to hospital. A team of neonatal specialists who attended informed that if the boys were delivered at such a tender stage, it was unlikely for them to survive.
"I prayed for them to hang on to 24 weeks, to allow them to benefit from steroids to help their lungs develop," Day said.
The doctors however, tried to prevent the birth by another three weeks, i.e. at 24 weeks when legal abortion is allowed.
In the weeks following the birth, the parents were informed that Axel, who was in neonatal care, may not survive due to premature birth. Both the twins were in intensive care for four months.
'When I tell people our twins were born five days apart, they're always amazed. It's not something you hear about every day. It was touch and go after they were born. Doctors warned us at one point that Axel might not survive 24 hours. They came home on my 30th birthday - which was an enormous treat – and three weeks ago we were able to take Axel's oxygen away," said the mother.
Both the twins are reportedly doing fine though Axel requires further steroid treatment with eye surgery through laser technology and two other operations to fix the hernias.
