WITH A LITTLE HELPING HAND
my daughters even if it was to save the other. I had to give both girls the best chance of survival that I could.
“They asked us the same question again a week later and my answer was still no. They both needed a fighting chance. We were determined that we would just let nature run its course.
“We had never heard of this condition. When we found out I was pregnant with twins we had been thrilled. We never imagined we would be facing such a situation with them.”
Emily was scanned weekly and little Edie hung on.
Then, 26 weeks into the pregnancy, doctors told the couple something remarkable was happening.
Because Elsie’s umbilical cord was in the right place and fully inserted into the placenta, it was keeping the blood flow going around the organ, which was helping Edie get some blood and nutrients too.
Emily went on: “It was amazing when they said that Elsie’s cord was helping to keep Edie alive too. It was really remarkable.
“It was only because her sister was in the womb too that Edie was staying alive. We couldn’t believe it. Twins have a bond between them, but the bond between our girls was incredibly strong. One was keeping the other alive even before they had been born.”
There were still concerns, though, and doctors warned that even if Edie was to survive until birth a lack of nutrients could mean that she would suffer growth restriction.
FOCUSED
Emily said: “They told us that her limbs could be shorter for example, or her eyes smaller. They said that her body would be more focused on growing the vital organs, so other parts could be compromised because of it. But all we were concerned with was that she would be born alive and well.”
The girls were delivered by Caesarean at 30 weeks – 10 weeks early – at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.
Elsie weighed 3lb 2oz and Edie just 1lb 13oz. Emily, who is currently studying for a law degree, said: “Thankfully they were born safely, even though Edie was a lot smaller than her sister, at least she was alive.
“We lay them in their cots side by side and Elsie was almost twice the size of her sister.
“But they kept snuggling up to each other and loved being so close.
“The bond between them was still so strong, like it had been in the womb.
“When we were finally allowed to bring them home we couldn’t believe that after everything that had happened, we were bringing both of the girls home with us.
“It was amazing to actually have them here safely with us at last.”
Dad Bailey said: “When they were first diagnosed with the condition, it was devastating to hear that they both may not survive.
“But Emily and I were determined we needed to give them a chance to survive and we are so glad we did. To have them home with us is amazing.” Fertility expert Professor Kingsland said of Edie’s condition: “It has almost a 100 per cent fatality rate for the baby.
“It is life-threatening for the mother, too, as it can cause a massive haemorrhage if the umbilical cord breaks away. It’s very rare in a singleton pregnancy and incredibly rare for a twin pregnancy to have this condition.
“In this case, which is remarkable, the smaller twin has had an extra bit of plumbing, having her twin’s umbilical cord in the right place.”
The twins are now 17 months old and doing really well.
Emily added: “They are identical twins, but don’t look exactly the same as their hair is different. Edie is catching up with Elsie, so there isn’t such a big size difference.
“Elsie still acts like a bigger sister to her. We are just so glad that we didn’t sacrifice Edie to try and save Elsie – as it ended up being the other way round. And we have both our daughters with us here now.
“We feel like the luckiest parents in the world. When our girls are old enough we will tell them how their remarkable journey to survival began when they were still in the womb.”
I wasn’t going to sacrificeone baby. Iwanted them both to have a chance of survival... MUM EMILY MURPHY REVEALS TRAUMATIC PREGNANCY CHOICE