Oldham, April 1: In a remarkable occurrence, a UK mother, Kayleigh Doyle, experienced the "super-rare" birth of twins with a gap of 22 days between their arrivals, with only one of the twins surviving. The journey began when Kayleigh, 22, discovered she was pregnant with twins in October 2020, and all her scans initially appeared normal. However, complications arose when she unexpectedly went into labour at just 22 weeks gestation, experiencing intense pain on March 15, 2021.

According to a report by the Mirror, Doyle was rushed to Royal Oldham Hospital, where she gave birth to Arlo prematurely at 1.1 pounds, who was stillborn, with a presumed cause of a blood clot in the placenta. Doctors informed Kayleigh that "twin two" might arrive soon, but to their astonishment, her contractions ceased, and she was sent home to rest. As days passed without the second twin's arrival, Kayleigh embarked on a bewildering medical journey. Daily check-ups revealed no signs of impending labour, baffling doctors by the unprecedented delay. 'Simultaneous Twins' Rare Birth: British Mom Gives Birth to Twins Born Exactly at the Same Time in a Rare Phenomenon.

As per a report by the New York Post, 22 days later, on April 11, 2021, Kayleigh underwent a C-section at Saint Mary's Hospital, where Astro was born against all odds, weighing 2 pounds. Doctors attributed the delay in delivery to a placental abruption, a condition where the placenta separates from the uterine wall, potentially endangering the baby's oxygen supply. Astro's survival marked a miraculous turn of events for Kayleigh and her family. UK Woman Suffers From Rare Condition Where Her Skin 'Eats Itself', Narrates Her Ordeal of Painful Days After Treatment.

Despite facing complications from being born prematurely, including a hole in his heart and retinopathy, Astro thrived, bringing immense joy amidst the grief of losing his twin brother. Kayleigh's journey of resilience and hope didn't end with Astro's birth. Despite the challenges of raising one baby while grieving the loss of the other, she channelled her grief into supporting others, eventually becoming a natal intensive care unit (NICU) volunteer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 01, 2024 07:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).