USED HER PARTNER’S EGGS
But things did not run smoothly. When Hayley was 15 weeks pregnant, doctors found the babies were suffering from a rare, life-threatening condition called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome.
It affects only identical twins and occurs when abnormal blood flow in the vessels joining the babies means that one gets more nutrients than the other. It can put too much strain on the bigger twin’s heart and it can mean the smaller baby doesn’t get enough nutrients. The condition puts the life of both babies in peril.
Hayley said: “We were devastated when we were told that the twins had it.
“The following week I started getting very breathless and filling up with fluid, so they knew something had to be done.”
Hayley was referred to King’s College Hospital in London under the care of worldrenowned surgeon Professor Kypros Nicolaides.
He operated to separate the twins by laser surgery while they were still in Hayley’s womb.
“It was frightening to think they were going to be operated on while I was still pregnant,” Hayley said.
“But we knew it was their only chance of survival. And even then we didn’t know if they were going to survive the surgery.” First pic of mums with their twins After the operation, there was a risk that she could miscarry the twins. Only a week later she suffered a massive bleed and had to be rushed back into hospital.
But the twins were hanging on – and survived. Hayley then suffered bleeding through the rest of her pregnancy until the twins were finally delivered when she was 32 weeks pregnant.
Stanley weighed in at 4Ib 12oz and Dylan was 4Ib 4oz.
Hayley said: “It was such a relief when they were born safely. We had just been to a baby shower and an hour after we got home, I went into labour. We had to go straight into hospital and the boys were delivered.
“Stanley was fine when he was born but Dylan was quite poorly and he had to be on oxygen for four months.”
Hayley also suffered postnatal depression after the Caesarean birth and found Hayley and Kirsty with bundles of joy Dylan and Stanley it difficult to bond properly with the twins for the first eight months.
She explained: “It was a strain, but it has brought Kirsty and I closer together. I had treatment for it and, after about eight months, I felt I could love the twins.
“They are both doing really well now and are really healthy.
“Other people are amazed when we tell them how we have done it, that genetically the boys are Kirsty’s, yet I gave birth to them.”
Professor Simon Fishel, from Care Fertility, said: “It’s a very special way to start a family. Shared motherhood is quite a new option for lesbian couples. One woman’s egg is fertilised to create an embryo. Her partner can then carry their baby. This way both women feel totally involved.”
antonia.paget@trinitymirror.com
It was such a relief that they were born safely after scares MUM HAYLEY ON HER PREGNANCY PROBLEMS