The world’s most premature twins to survive have been officially recognised by Guinness World Records.
Adiah and Adrial Nadarajah were born in Canada’s Mount Sinai Hospital 126 days early, weighing just 11.6 oz and 14.8 oz respectively. At a combined weight of 1.65 lb, they have been recognised as the lightest twins at birth.
When mum Shakina went into labour at 21 weeks, doctors told her “there’s no possibility that they’re going to survive”. But just days later she delivered her son and daughter, who have now celebrated their first birthday.
‘Death sentence’
Mount Sinai Hospital agreed to resuscitate the babies but only if they were born at 22 weeks, telling parents Kevin and Shakina it would be a “death sentence” if they were born even hours beforehand.
Mum Shakina said: “I knew that I had to hold the babies in because if I didn’t, they wouldn’t be alive”.
Just before midnight she was “in tears” when she thought she was about to give birth, but her waters did not break until 15 minutes into week 22.
Although the twins suffered complications after birth, such as sepsis, they were able to be discharged from hospital five months later.
‘Trusting in God’
Dad Kevin reflected: “Amidst all that scenario of being told that the chance of survival is pretty much zero per cent” and the chance of “significant disability is really high, we were just clinging to our hope and faith trusting in God”.
He added: “We’re amazed that our twins have the record title, but beyond that I think what we’re really happy about and passionate about is that this is going to help push the dialogue on viability.
“We do hope that this is a record that gets broken and signifies that progress is being made in terms of babies that can be resuscitated even at much earlier gestations, and recognising that life begins so much earlier than you might know at this point today.”
Viability
In Britain, abortion is currently effectively available for any reason up to 24 weeks, the age at which babies are deemed to be ‘viable’ outside the womb.
It wasn’t until 2019 that The British Association of Perinatal Medicine updated guidance to advise that it is possible for doctors to save the lives of children born at 22 weeks.
Previously, it stated that they had no chance of survival.
‘Miscarriage’
Last year, the UK’s youngest premature twins, who like Adiah and Adrial were given “zero chance of survival”, also celebrated their first birthday.
Mum Jade was just 22 weeks pregnant when she went into labour – so unusually early that the doctors at Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham repeatedly referred to the delivery as a miscarriage.
Harley and Harry Crane arrived five months early, weighing just 1lb 10oz and 1lb 15oz respectively.
Baby born with just half a heart ‘full of life’ at almost two years old
Twice the joy: Couple refused to abort one twin to save the other