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'Medical Sensation' Twin Girls Were Born 97 Days Apart

'Medical Sensation' Twin Girls Were Born 97 Days Apart

The non-identical twins were born in different years

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

A set of twin girls were born more than three months apart - in different years, in fact.

The girls were born at the Holweide Hospital in Cologne, Germany, 97 days apart, something doctors believe could be a world record and have hailed a 'medical sensation'.

Mum Oxana gave birth to little Liana prematurely at 26 weeks on 17 November 2018; the tiny baby weighed just 900g (2lbs).

The twins were born at the Holweide Hospital in Cologne.
CEN

She then had a long wait until she could be reunited with her sister, named Leonie, who came along four days after Oxana's due date on 22 February - and weighed a heftier 3.7kg (8.1lbs).

Although rare, it's not unheard of for twins to be born days - or even weeks - apart, as is the case here, where following the birth of the first twin, Oxana's contractions stopped.

Doctors decided that the new-mum should continue with her pregnancy and see if she could go full-term with the second twin. Incredibly, it worked.

A spokesperson from the hospital said: "After the birth of the first twin, the cervix closed again and the unborn sister could remain in the womb."

Maternity chief Dr Uwe Schellenberger said: "The conditions were very good as well due to the existing second placenta and we wanted to try to let the second child mature as long as possible in the womb."

With a whopping 97 days between them, it's thought the pair might have set a new world record. According to research carried out by the hospital, the nearest they could find was a case of twins born 87 days apart in Ireland in 2012.

Dr Schellenberger added: "It's also a rare case for our maternity clinic, but it was not the first time that twins were born on different days at the Holweide Hospital.

"But the time difference of 97 days is unique for us and also special worldwide."

The little girls were born a whopping 97 days apart.
CEN

Little Liana had to spend her first few weeks in a neonatal care unit at the hospital, until she was strong enough to go home.

Now, both girls weigh around 5.7kg (12.5lbs) and are said to be doing well.

The spokesperson added: "The two girls are reunited at their family home and will grow up healthy."

Featured Image Credit: CEN

Topics: Pregnancy, World News, Germany, Twins, Medical, Health