Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Antony Thrower & Kate Lally

Miracle twins born at 22 weeks with 'no chance' of survival finally go home

Miracle twins given a zero per cent chance of surviving their birth have headed home from hospital with their delighted parents.

Harley and Harry were conceived through IVF and were born at just 22 weeks and five days.

Parents Jade and Steve Crane had been warned by doctors it could be a miscarriage as the tiny tots were so young, telling them to “prepare to say goodbye”.

But when they were born they showed signs of life so the team burst into action.

Now, after 140 days of intensive care, the brother and sister have been allowed to go home, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Former mental health nurse Jade said: "I'm so proud of my babies - they're little fighters. “They're doing absolutely amazing. They're doing all the things that we were told they wouldn't do - they're crying, they're surviving.

Parents Jade and Steve with their miracle children (Jade Crane / SWNS)

"The doctors were saying the babies wouldn't survive at this gestation. I was still two weeks away from what the UK classes as viable and the babies were given a zero per cent chance of survival.

“It was only because I was at a teaching hospital and that the babies were born with signs of life that they chose to intervene medically.”

The couple underwent eight cycles of IVF over 11 years as they tried to start their family, tragically suffering three miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy before the twins’ arrival.

Jade discovered she had an overactive immune system, causing her body to reject the pregnancies before the couple moved from a fertility clinic in Nottingham to one on Harley Street in London.

The premature twins have been allowed home (Jade Crane / SWNS)
The children spent five months in hospital (Jade Crane / SWNS)

Jade was prescribed several types of medication in order to combat her immune system problems.

Jade added: "On our eighth cycle of IVF, we had two embryos transferred which both worked and we ended up with boy and girl twins.

“I couldn't let myself believe it, I was so fearful of a miscarriage or something going wrong. I was still in disbelief when we got to 20 weeks, and I hadn't even hit my third trimester when I went into labour so we hadn't bought anything.

“The few bits of clothes that I did buy made me think that I better keep the tags on just in case - you just don't want to let yourself believe."

The couple checked in at Queens Medical Hospital in Nottingham on October 26 when Jade leaked fluid at home for several days at 22 weeks.

Proud mum Jade with Harley and Harry (Jade Crane / SWNS)

The babies were not considered to be viable and the poor mum believed she would lose her precious twins.

She added: "The doctor kept saying it was a miscarriage but I said it couldn't be because I could feel the babies moving.

"I knew they were ok but was being told they wouldn't survive at this gestation."

It was only because the babies were born with signs of life that they chose to intervene medically. They were alive, moving around, and they cried. Their little cries sounded like a tiny kitten.”

The tiny children were finally allowed home on Monday- just two weeks after their initial due date.

Steve added: "The absolutely stunning doctors, nurses and surgeons have all been part of the making of this moment.

“It's hard to say goodbye to them but I hope I never see them again."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.