This article first appeared on rtl.de
“I was devastated.” When Audrieanna Lambert from the USA learns that one of her babies may not survive, she is distraught. As the news agency SWNS reports, Lambert and her husband have been trying to have children for years, finally turning to a fertility clinic. And indeed: Lambert is even expecting twins in 2021!
But one of the babies is not developing properly and is much too small. Doctors kept saying it was dying, not least during an ultrasound at 24 weeks gestation. At that time, one fetus was only half the size of the other and was not properly nourished via the umbilical cord. “The doctors told me that the baby would die in the next few days,” Lambert recalls.
As the Journal of Public Health Research writes, both identical and non-identical twins generally struggle with growth during pregnancy. This is due to the restricted space in the abdomen and the fact that the fetuses have to share the nutrients. Depending on the level of malnutrition, about 15 percent of malnourished fetuses die prematurely, according to the Journal.
Contrary to the medical diagnosis, Lambert’s second baby survived and was taken by caesarean section in December 2021. Both babies are premature, but while baby Mila still weighs almost a kilo, her sister Reagan only weighs half and is significantly smaller.
“Reagan was so small that I could put it in my hand,” says Audrieanna Lambert. Usually, the twins adjust in size over the months thereafter, but not so with Mila and Reagan. The girls are now one and a half years old and Mila is still a head taller than her little sister. “Strangers can never believe these two are twins,” Lambert said. While Mila can walk properly and is just learning to speak, Reagan is taking her first steps and wearing clothes that are actually intended for three-month-old children.
“But whenever Reagan does something new, Mila’s face lights up. She’s Reagan’s biggest cheerleader,” Lambert reveals. Despite her small size, however, Reagan is healthy – and that is what matters, after all.
