A tiny tot who was born three times smaller than her twin sister defied the odds after doctors were convinced she would die in the womb.
Reagan and Mila Lambert, twin children born to Audrieanna Lambert, 32, of Washington, were conceived through IVF and were born eight months ago. Mila weighed 2 pounds, 13 ounces when she was born, whereas Reagan weighed only 1 pound, 11 weeks early.
Mum Audrieanna Lambert said it was a miracle Reagan was alive at all after medics’ stark warnings she wouldn’t survive the pregnancy.
Medics at the hospital became seriously concerned over Reagan at around 20 weeks, when they discovered she had stopped growing.
And after the couple’s c-section birth in December 2021, Mila spent 45 days in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) strengthening up to be able to return home.
But tiny Reagan, who battled sepsis, had to wait 118 days before she could join her sister at home in Washington, Pennsylvania.
“When I saw them for the first time Reagan was so much smaller than I imagined,” says Audrieanna.
“The difference between them was crazy. Mila was almost three times the size.
”They don’t even look like twins they’re such different sizes! I knew Reagan was going to be small but she was just so tiny.
“But they were both miracles and pulled through. Now they’re incredible.”
Although the twins are now doing well, there were concerns the couple would lose Reagan at a young age because Reagan weighs 7lbs 5oz compared to Mila’s 12lbs.
“We were told the gestational sac was measuring small and it was likely she would pass,” Audrieanna continues.
”But at 15 weeks they reassured us and said that Reagan had caught up. It was the best news.
“Everything seemed fine with both of them and we were so excited to have two little girls.”
But at their 20 weeks scan, Reagan was 18 per cent smaller than her sister and falling behind again.
“The doctors were not sure if she would make it at that point,” says Audrieanna.
“But they kept monitoring us. I was just praying we wouldn’t lose her.”
Reagan’s 50% reduced size and problems with her cord flow, which is the process by which nutrients from the mother’s blood traverse the placenta and reach the fetus through the umbilical cord, were devastatingly revealed to the couple at 24 weeks of pregnancy.
“They told us that the next time I came for a scan in two weeks she would have passed,” Audrieanna explains.
“They were certain she wouldn’t make it because everything they knew medically told them she wouldn’t. I was devastated.”
But two weeks later at the 26 week scan, doctors found that Reagan’s heart was still beating.
“They were really shocked that she was still holding on. I was determined I would do everything I could for her to make it.”
One week later and Audrieanna was admitted for monitoring. But at 29 weeks, Reagan’s cord flow changed and the babies had to be delivered by emergency c-section.
“I heard Mila’s nice little cry and they held her up for me so I knew she was ok but all I could hear from Reagan was a whimper,” says Audrieanna.
“It was like a kittens cry. I was in a panic because I could hardly hear her and I didn’t get to see her before they took her away.”
When Audrieanna did see Reagan, she was so small she could fit in the palm of a hand.
“I knew she was going to be tiny but she was still so much smaller than I had imagined. Mila was three times the size.
“Reagan was tiny, but she had a fully formed personality. When they were five days old, we were finally permitted to hold them. They were so delicate and little, but it was still amazing.”
The family was informed that Reagan had acquired sepsis and was being transferred to a different hospital while the twins were just two weeks old. She was nonetheless admitted to the same hospital as Mila after only four days; Mila was released from there six weeks later.
“It was so lovely to have Mila home but so hard to have to keep travelling back and forth to see her sister and for them not to be together,” Audrieanna says.
“It was amazing to have them both home. It’s been quite the journey. They still have a big size difference between them.
“When I switch between holding Mila to Reagan I can really feel how much lighter she still is.
”They’re eight months now and thriving and hitting all their milestones. They’ve defied the odds.”
