Harry and Harley are the UK's most premature twins
Derbyshire-based Jade, 40, and her husband Steve, 52, were told their newborns were “medical waste.” But now, at eight months old, Harley and Harry are thriving.“A flurry of doctors and nurses usher me into a stark-looking bereavement suite at the medical centre. Lights flash and sirens sound as another contraction rushes through my body. “The babies are medical waste – there’s no chance of survival,” a doctor explains, gruffly.
Every time we lost a baby I was heartbroken. I read books about life without children and tried to convince myself I would fill the void with nice cars and fancy holidays. But I felt empty. Steve and I squeezed each other tightly, but we couldn’t get carried away. I had become pregnant seven times before and lost my babies too soon.
At 6.30pm on 26 October 2021, our daughter Harley was born, weighing 500g. I knew if she didn’t cry, the nurses wouldn’t intervene to help her. I said worriedly, “I can’t hear her cry,” and a nurse replied dismissively, “Don’t be silly, she won’t.” I watched my fragile babies fight for life in little glass boxes and wondered, “If they die, who’ll clear the nursery?”