Twins Born at 22 Weeks and Given a 10% Chance of Survival Head Home, Doing Great
Twins born at just 22 weeks gestation and given just a 10% chance of survival have made it home, and nearly a year later, are thriving.
Baby Kimyah and DJ were born so early that they had to spend nearly five months in the hospital before they were well enough to go home.
For their mother, Kimberly Thomas, everything seemed to be going well during her pregnancy until, unexpectedly, she started leaking amniotic fluid. The 25-year-old mother from Bedford, Ohio, called her doctor as soon as possible and they quickly discovered she was in labor.
At just five months pregnant, she was told her babies would only have a 10% chance of survival. After she gave birth, the twins had to be resuscitated immediately. Nurses report that each one is so small that they can fit in the palm of each hand.
Nurse Sara Perrin said they are “the smallest babies I have ever seen, much less cared for”.
After 138 days in intensive care, they went home
Babies are so fragile that their parents are not allowed to hold their babies for the first month of their lives. But Kimberly didn’t leave their side.
“I don’t think that a day goes by that I don’t spend even a few minutes with my babies, just to talk to them”, she said said. “I pretty much lived in the NICU for four-and-a-half months”.
While in the NICU, Kimyah had a small bleed on the brain and one of DJ’s lungs collapsed.
The little warriors never gave up and were released from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio after 138 days in intensive care.
The staff held a ‘graduation’ for the twins to celebrate the special moment. The 11-month-old twins were given caps and gowns to mark the occasion.
“It’s hard to imagine we’ll get to this point”
Their mother said “I was delighted to know they were home” and nurse Becky Stuart said it was “a big celebration”.
“During their time in the NICU, I treated them like my children. I love them and have formed a bond with them that will stay with me forever”.
Now that they’re at home, with their parents, their mom says “Kimyah and DJ are very active and love to explore … Thinking about everything they’ve been through, it’s hard to believe we’ve gotten to this point “.
“It is not clear if they can do anything on their own. Now, they are trying to do everything by themselves”.
“You have to stay positive and focus on the result you want”.
Outcomes for extremely premature infants continue to improve.
A 2022 study‘Mortality, In-Hospital Morbidity, Care Practices, and 2-Year Outcomes for Very Preterm Infants in the US, 2013-2018’, by Dr Edward F Bell of the University of Iowa, found from 2013 as of 2018, including infants born between 22 and 28 weeks of gestation, “survival to discharge occurred at 78.3% and was significantly improved compared to the previous rate of 76.0% among infants born in 2008-2012 “.
The study, which took place between 2013 and 2018, assessed 10,877 babies born between 22 and 28 weeks’ gestation at 19 academic medical centers across the US.
This means that almost four out of five babies born prematurely survived and were able to be assessed at 22-26 months corrected for age (22-26 months from their due date) for some health and functional outcomes.
Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said “The stories of premature babies surviving and thriving are amazing. They are becoming more common and shine a light on our inhumane laws on abortion, which allows abortion under most circumstances up to 24 weeks in the UK”.
LifeNews Note: Republished with permission from Right to Life UK.
