07 February 2024 , 16:40
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A mum has been left 'heartbroken' after one of her twins died and the second was diagnosed with a rare condition.
Elaine Avery had frequent bouts of nausea and assumed a stomach bug had taken hold. But she took a pregnancy test to be sure and it was positive.
The 37-year-old from Southampton was overjoyed about her new arrival joining the family, including her son, Max, 12. But she was shocked when a scan revealed she was expecting twins.
It was later discovered the babies were monochorionic-diamniotic identical twins, meaning they shared the same placenta, which made her pregnancy high-risk. At 22 weeks, Elaine found out one of the twins had died and the other was unlikely to make it because of chronic lung disease and developmental delay. She decided to give her surviving twin a chance.
Newly born Aurora in hospital (Jam Press)
Max pictured with his new baby sister Aurora (Jam Press)Elaine, a communications assistant, said: "I felt so blessed when I discovered that there were two babies growing inside me - but it wasn't meant to be. I hadn't bought a single thing because I was terrified that neither would survive. But when I reached 10 weeks, I started to buy all the things needed. When they told me about the complications, I felt so scared and alone.
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"I had to keep going and stay strong for my babies, as there was a fighting chance everything would be okay. Sadly, they developed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome which only made things more complicated, so I had to undergo emergency surgery to separate the blood vessels connecting them." At this point, she found out the gender of her babies - two girls - whom she called Aurelia and Aurora. But Aurelia, the supposed healthier twin died and Elaine was left dealing with grief.
Elaine was overjoyed about her new arrival joining the family, including 12-yearold son Max (Jam Press)She said: "I was devastated, but I couldn't grieve Aurelia when Aurora still needed me. I couldn't believe it and I struggled to come to terms with losing my baby girl. I wanted to hang onto the hope of my other baby, but I was advised to terminate the pregnancy entirely as there were too many issues present. But I didn't want to face losing another child, so I went ahead and decided to carry her through to full-term. She seemed like she was fighting in there, so I fought with her."
At 24 weeks, she prematurely gave birth to the surviving twin through an emergency c-section but due to how sick Aurora was, doctors thought Aurora wouldn't make it. But then she went into a critical condition and was rushed to have multiple surgeries to combat sepsis. During this time, the family mourned Aurelia at her funeral and hoped for a positive outcome for Aurora.
Mum 'heartbroken' as one twin dies and second diagnosed with rare condition (Jam Press)Elaine added: "She's blind in one eye and is facing developmental delays, but she's feisty and loves to laugh. She radiates joy and resilience and the bond with her older brother is the source for laughter and happiness within the entire family.
"I couldn't have gotten through this without the support of my friends and family, as well as the doctors and nurses who cared for, and continue to care for Aurora. I'm so proud of her and I know her sister would be too."