Premature twins born after Biddulph mum thought she had bug

The babies were doing "incredibly well", University Hospitals of North Midlands said

Twins were unexpectedly born at home, prematurely at 30 weeks, after their mother thought she was suffering from a stomach bug.

Lucy Shaw's mother ended up delivering Jacob just as paramedics arrived to deliver Jaxon. The babies weighed just 3lb 9oz and 3lb 8oz.

Hospital staff said the boys, who were so cold "they had unrecordable body temperatures", were "miracle babies".

They will be heading home to Biddulph, Staffordshire, over the next few weeks.

Their 34-year-old mother said the boys were breathing on their own just a week after their birth on 5 July.

She said she had woken up in the early hours with what she thought was a tummy bug.

Hours later, and in a lot of pain, she called her mother.

"She took one look at me and called for an ambulance", she said.

"Whilst mum was on the phone to the operator, they asked if she could see anything and it then dawned on me to check and I could feel a head.

"I kept trying not to push and was saying 'they can't come yet as it's too soon' but the operator told me I must push if I felt like I needed to."

The twins were expected to be able to go home "with minimal special care", the trust said

Jacob arrived at 06:00 and paramedics delivered Jaxon at 06:15 BST, said the mother, who was taken to the birthing suite at Royal Stoke Hospital due to blood loss.

Ms Shaw stated: "The nurses and assistants have helped and encouraged us every step of the way to ensure we still felt like the boys' parents.

"At first, even just changing a nappy on such a tiny baby was quite scary but with the nurse's support, we soon got the hang of it as well as learning to feed them via (a)... tube."

Neonatology clinical lead at University Hospitals of North Midlands Lee Abbott said the boys had "blood acid levels that were not consistent with survival and they also had low blood pressures".

The babies were doing "incredibly well" and expected to be able to go home with minimal special care, he added.

The trust also recognised the "excellent efforts" of West Midlands Ambulance Service, "without whom this amazing outcome would not have been possible".