Tiny twins born at 22 weeks thriving at home

Twins born at just 22 weeks and a day are preparing to celebrate their first birthday.

When mum Kim Thomas went into labour at just 21 weeks, barely halfway through her pregnancy, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio attempted to delay the birth.

But twins Kimyah and DJ were born a few days later on 12 October 2022, more than four months premature and each weighing less than 1lb.

‘Incredible’

The twins were put in a neonatal intensive care unit and dad Damante recalled being told they were unlikely to make it past the first three days.

Staff at the clinic said they had never worked with such small babies before. The twins overcame multiple health issues, including a bleed on the brain and collapsed lung, but after 138 days they were finally discharged.

One nurse spoke of the emotion she felt the day the twins went home: “I did have my doubts on day one that we would see that day, so that made it that much more incredible when it came”.

The abortion limit in the UK is 24 weeks, or up to birth if the baby is deemed to have a disability.

‘Terrifying’

Elsewhere in the US, a boy who was expected to die before or shortly after birth has also defied doctors’ expectations and is now a happy two year old.

Mother Sarah Wilhelm has shared how she turned down the offer of an abortion when her son was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called ‘prune belly syndrome’, which involves an abnormality in the urinary tract, sometimes causing extreme swelling of the abdomen.

It’s so heartbreaking to think how many children have been aborted because of inaccurate information, or just fear of the unknown.

Sarah said the possibility “of having this child just long enough to fall in love with him and have him leave a giant hole in our lives” was “terrifying”. But she and her husband chose life and their son Judah has had remarkably few medical issues since birth.

‘Absolutely amazing’

The mother encouraged others struggling with a decision about abortion not to give up hope, explaining that doctors can sometimes get assessments wrong, despite the advances of modern medicine.

She added: “It’s so heartbreaking to think how many children have been aborted because of inaccurate information, or just fear of the unknown.

“We know that a large number of pregnancies with perceived prune belly syndrome are aborted. How many of those children would have been just as perfect and virtually normal as Judah?”

He brings us such joy every single day.

Joy

Sarah said that at two-and-a-half years old, “he is doing absolutely amazing. Despite all that we were told during the pregnancy, he is almost perfectly normal. He has hit every milestone in the normal range. He recently broke his arm, and that was the moment that it hit me just how beautiful normal is.

“He can run and play and act just like any other two-year-old boy, broken bones and all. The most common comment I hear, besides how cute he is with those curls, is how you’d never guess there was anything wrong with him. You really wouldn’t. He looks and acts like all of his peers.”

She continued: “While I won’t lie and say life with him hasn’t had its challenges, they have all been more than worth it.

“If there was one word I could use to sum up life with Judah, it would be joy. He brings us such joy every single day.”