Survivorship of Premature Twins Born 18 Weeks Early Sets New Record The survival of a set of twin girls who were born 18 weeks early has set new records. The earliest preterm twins ever to be delivered at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic are Kambry and Keeley Ewoldt. Compared to the usual human pregnancy, which lasts 40 weeks, or roughly nine months, the twins were born in late November after 22 weeks of pregnancy. They would undoubtedly be among the first four or five children to be born in this country.
Dr. Jonathn Klein, neonatologist and NICU medical director at Stead Family Children’s Hospital at the University of Iowa, stated, “We have one infant at 22 (weeks) and 0 (day) and another at 22 (weeks) and 0 (days).” Despite being 22 and 1, neither of them is a twin. A baby that is 22 weeks gestation is very unlikely to survive. The survival rate is roughly 10% nationwide,” he added. The infants were identified as having twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which is an aberrant configuration of blood arteries connecting identical twins who share a placenta, while still in the womb.
Due to uneven blood flow between the infants, the disease has the potential to be lethal for both twins. The blood vessels were disconnected during an intrauterine procedure on the twins at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, but even with therapy, the disease frequently results in preterm birth. Jade Ewoldt, 28, of Dysart, Iowa, said she was taken aback when my water broke at home on November 23. The twins were born at home. “, Ewoldt said. Jade’s EMS ride to the hospital was an extraordinarily lengthy hour and fifteen minutes. The ambulance crew informed Jade en route that they lacked the necessary tools to save infants who were born in moving vehicles. I’ve probably asked them whether we’ve been there a thousand times, Jade replied.
Thankfully, the twins were patient enough to wait until their mother arrived at the hospital. When they first showed up, they were the size of a doll’s bill in both size and diminutiveness. They don’t yet have eyelids, and their skin is so thin that it can almost touch the skin. Their hearts resemble a thumb in size. Girls are given short bursts of oxygen to breathe while wearing gas masks. When you consider these things, you feel overextended. These two little girls are kept alive by a variety of factors. The twins must now spend the remainder of their pregnancy in the neonatal intensive care unit despite the healthy delivery.
