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The Miracle twins who have a ten percent chance of survival celebrated their first birthday after surgery while they were still in the womb.
Sherrie Foulger, 32, and her fiancé Craig Armstrong, 30, learned that their baby had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) at 16 weeks.
This disease causes one of the twins to receive more blood than the other and doctors have warned that it is unlikely that babies will survive the pregnancy.
The only option was a risky surgery that could have damaged the brain of one or the other of the boys, Roma and Reeve Armstrong.
The surgeons took Miss Foulger during the pioneering operation while she was 21 weeks pregnant.
After being born naturally at 29 weeks, the Ilkeston boys in Derbyshire did not suffer from any long-term health problems.
Roma and Reeve Armstrong, who have a ten percent chance of survival, celebrated their first birthday after surgery while they were still in the womb. On the photo with their mother, Sherrie Foulger, 33, at her home in Ilkeston, Devon
Babies were found to have twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome at the 16-week scan. On the picture at the age of seven weeks
Babies were born premature at 29 weeks in April 2018 and had to stay in intensive care for 40 days. In the photo, Roma
The twins spent 40 days in three different hospitals before being allowed to go home in May of last year (the picture shows Reeve at the hospital)
Miss Foulger, a cargo worker, and her 30-year-old fiance Craig Armstrong, were shocked to learn that even with surgery to save the twins, they could be damaged to the brain. But they have not suffered any long-term consequences on their health. On the photo on their first birthday
Miss Foulger, a cargo worker with two children, Theo Francis, 12, and eight-year-old Troy Francis, from a previous relationship, said, "We never thought we would get to where we are.
& # 39; We would do weekly scans and I would be so impatient to not know if they would be alive or dead.
"Now boys are booming. They crawl, stand up and eat well.
During her 16-week exam, Miss Foulger and Mr. Armstrong, a field worker, discovered that the twins had TTTS.
The disease affects about 15% of diamniotic monochorionic twins (CDMM) – identical twins sharing the placenta, which account for about two-thirds of identical twins, according to the NHS.
It causes aNormal vascular connections are formed in the placenta and prevent blood from circulating evenly between babies.
Diverted blood flow from a "donor" twin goes to the other "recipient" twin.
This leads to enlarged bladder and excessive amounts of amniotic fluid, andn most cases, oa twin becomes dehydrated, which affects his growth, and the develops high blood pressure that can lead to heart failure.
Miss Foulger said, "It broke my heart when they told me that they had it. This has absolutely petrified me.
While they were in the uterus, surgeons performed a novel but risky laser ablation, consisting of looking for the blood vessels connecting the twins and closing them to facilitate the flow of blood. In the picture, the couple holding the twins in intensive care after the birth
Twin twin syndrome is a rare but serious condition that can occur in identical pregnancies. Abnormal connections of the blood vessels are formed in the placenta and prevent the blood from circulating evenly between the babies. (In the photo, scans)
Miss Foulger, photographed during pregnancy, collapsed after TTTS diagnosis
Six days after their birth, Miss Foulger was able to cuddle her two babies.
"We read something about it and all you think is" I'm going to lose my babies ".
"I broke down – I thought I'd lose one, if not both.
Approximately 300 twins die each year from this disease in the United Kingdom, while 6,000 babies are affected each year in the United States.
At 18 weeks of pregnancy, the couple were referred to one of Birmingham Women's Hospital's top consultants and, at 21 weeks, the doctors discovered that the fluid around Roma was 11 cm and that of Reeve, less than a centimeter.
This meant that Roma's heart was struggling and that the only option was an innovative but risky laser ablation surgery.
The operation, which is a routine for TTTS babies on the NHS, involves looking for the blood vessels connecting the twins and closing them to facilitate the flow of blood.
The couple was told that without surgery there was a good chance babies would die. But after the operation, there was a 60% chance that any of them will survive.
Miss Foulger said: "Even if they had survived, they could have been deprived of oxygen and eventually have brain damage.
"I had a local anesthetic and I was awake all the time with Craig by my side.
"I had never seen so many doctors. There were about 35 people in the room while this was going on.
"It's an incredible thing that doctors do. They emptied two liters of liquid.
A week later, Miss Foulger underwent a 4D scan and an MRI to determine if one of the twins had suffered brain damage, but fortunately both were fine and arrangements had been made for a 32-week delivery.
However, at 29 weeks and four days, Miss Foulger's waters broke down, as babies with TTTS are often born prematurely.
The couple was born naturally on the same day – Roma weighing 3 kg and Reeve 27 minutes later, weighing 2 lbs. 13 oz.
Both babies wore an oxygen mask to help them breathe and eat with tubes. They also received an umbilical venous catheter, a tube inserted into their umbilical cord that allows fluids and medications to be administered without frequent replacement of an intravenous (IV) line.
After birth, the two babies wore an oxygen mask to help them breathe, feeding tubes and umbilical venous catheters, a tube inserted into the umbilical cord for the administration of fluids and drugs. In the photo, Roma in intensive care
Miss Foulger said it was amazing what doctors could do after being initially convinced to lose her twins. In the photo as newborns
Miss Foulger, photographed at home with her newborns, said: "It was like the best thing that keeps them both. I would stay there for hours without moving. I would not belittle them
Miss Foulger said, "When they were born, they were taken away and taken to the neonatal intensive care unit.
& # 39; They raised them to show us their faces but we were not allowed to hold them.
"It was such a mixture of emotions. It was like they were coming so fast. We were happy that they were fine, but we were afraid because we did not know what was going to happen. & # 39;
She added, "They looked so vulnerable with tubes coming out of them, we could not do anything to help them.
"Although Reeve is the smallest twin, he has always been stronger. I could hold Reeve after four days and Roma after five or six days, so I could have a double hug.
"It was like the best thing that keeps them both. I would stay there for hours without moving. I will not belittle them.
The twins spent 40 days in three different hospitals before being allowed to return home in May of last year.
The twins spent 40 days in three different hospitals before being allowed to return home in May of last year. Now, a year later, they are booming
Miss Foulger said the link between the babies was amazing. The family photographed together
The pair has since attracted 11,000 followers to her Instagram page, created by Miss Foulger to create memories and help other parents to live the same.
Miss Foulger said, "I burst into tears when I brought them home for the first time. I could not believe it was happening – I was so overwhelmed by the emotion.
"They first had TTTS therapy, then there was laser surgery, and then they were born prematurely – it was as if everything else could have happened. had been.
"But we were so lucky and blessed. Roma is really laid back and Reeve is the brazen malefactor.
"They hear really well and turn on when they see each other. It's amazing how they relate to everything they've experienced. & # 39;
You can follow the adventures of twins on Instagram.
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