A mum from Southampton has shared her experience of being told to abort one of her twin girls shortly after conceiving the other.
Elaine Avery, 37, was excited to have twins but was told early on that her pregnancy was a high-risk pregnancy.
His daughters, whom he named Aurelia and Aurora, were monochorionic-diamniotic identical twins, which means they share a placenta and are therefore at higher risk of complications such as low birth weight or premature birth. At 21 weeks, Elaine also found out that she had twins twin-to-twin transfusion syndromewhich means that blood flow is not shared equally between the two babies.
Elaine said “I had to undergo emergency surgery to separate the blood vessels connecting them. When they told me about the complications, I felt very scared and alone”.
He added “I have to keep going and stay strong for my babies, because there is a fighting chance that everything will be okay”.
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Elaine faced tragedy just one week later
Tragically, at just 22 weeks gestation, baby Aurelia died.
“I was overwhelmed when I discovered I had two babies growing inside me – but it wasn’t meant to be,” Elaine said. “I was sad, but I couldn’t grieve Aurelia when Aurora still needed me”.
“I couldn’t believe it and I struggled to come to terms [with] losing my baby girl.”
Elaine continued to fight for her other daughter, Aurora
Elaine and her surviving daughter have yet to make it out of the forest. Elaine is told that Aurora has chronic lung disease and developmental delays, and therefore is unlikely to survive.
“I wanted to hold on to the hope of my other baby, but I was advised to end the pregnancy completely because there were so many issues. But I didn’t want to lose another child, so I decided to carry him to full-term”, she continue.
Just two weeks after Aurelia passed away at 24 weeks pregnant, Elaine went to the early pregnancy unit because she felt something was wrong. She was admitted and Aurora was born prematurely by emergency Caesarean section.
Elaine said “He seemed to be fighting there, so I fought him”.
Aurora had to have multiple surgeries to fight sepsis, while Elaine and her family, including her 12-year-old son Max, mourned Aurelia at her funeral.
After months of nursing, Elaine’s “miracle” baby grew
Despite Aurora’s continued developmental delays, Elaine describing to her as “feisty” and said “he likes to laugh”.
“He radiates joy and stability and the bond with his older brother is the source of laughter and happiness within the whole family”.
Elaine too expressed his gratitude for the help he received in his challenging experience.
“I couldn’t have gotten through this without the support of my friends and family, as well as the doctors and nurses who cared for, and continue to care for, Aurora”.
“I’m so proud of her and I know her brother will be the same”.
The number of babies surviving from 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy is increasing
Aurora was 22 weeks pregnant when her sister Aurelia died and her mother Elaine was advised to have an abortion. A number of major studies in recent years have documented improved outcomes for very premature infants. A 2004 Swedish study found that survival outcomes of newborns between 22 and 25 weeks’ gestation significantly improve when neonatal hospital staff take a proactive approach to the care of premature infants.
A 2008 study based on a neonatal intensive care unit also in London found that neonatal survival rates at 22 and 23 weeks’ gestation have improved. In 1981-85, no babies born at these gestational ages survived to delivery. However, in 1986-90, 19% did and this increased to 54% during 1996-2000.
A study in 2022 found nearly four out of five babies born prematurely between 22 and 28 weeks’ gestation survived to be discharged from the hospital. This found that from 2013 to 2018, with babies born between 22 and 28 weeks’ gestation, “survival to discharge occurred at 78.3% and was significantly improved compared to the previous rate of 76.0% among babies born in 2008-2012”.
Right To Life UK Spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said, “It is inspiring to hear about Elaine’s bravery in fighting for her daughter’s life whilst grieving the loss of another daughter. It is very sad and deeply worrying that medical professionals recommend terminating the life of an unborn baby with a poor prognosis”.
“Fortunately, Elaine did not listen to the medical advice, and as a result baby Aurora is alive and happy today”.
LifeNews Note: Republished with permission from Right to Life UK.
