Due to a rare delivery procedure, premature twins Alexandre Antunes and Ronaldo were born 24 days apart. Delayed twin deliveries are not only uncommon, but also risky. Fortunately, the parents of the two boys will have the pleasure of bringing home their tiny bundles of joy next week, The Boston Globe reports.
When Lindalva DaSilva, 35, went into labor nearly four months early, she and her husband Ronaldo feared that they would lose their twins, since babies born at 24 weeks only have a 50-60 percent survival rate.
The doctors at Tufts Medical Centers informed the couple that a delayed delivery procedure might improve the odds of at least one of the twins. However, they also warned that the procedures could result in infection for DaSilva. DaSilva met the conditions that reduce the risks of the procedure and opted to do it.
DaSilva gave birth to Alexandre, who weighed one and a half pounds, on March 2. Then, her labor stopped, making the delayed delivery of Ronaldo possible.
Remarkably, DaSilva’s labor did not begin again for 24 days. At 28 weeks and 1 day, Ronaldo enjoyed a 90 percent chance of survival.
Ronaldo currently weighs 7 pounds. His older brother Alexandre, who was put on a ventilator and was ill for several weeks after his birth, is now close to 7 pounds. Both boys will leave the NICU for the first time next week.
“They’re special. They’re warriors,” DaSilva proudly told “The Today Show.”