Couple's Identical Twins Could Be Born Months Apart

Baby Link was born 23 weeks into his mother’s pregnancy with identical twin boys. He weighed 1 pound 2 ounces. (Image via gofundme.com/linkandlogan)

Just 23 weeks into Holli Gorveatt’s pregnancy, she gave birth to Link, who weighed in at 1 pound 2 ounces and, right on the edge of viability, stands a 10% chance of normal development. Just as astounding is that Link has an identical twin brother Logan who remains in utero and is growing normally.

The unusual situation, which has left Gorveatt both pre- and post-partum at the same time, is the result of twin to twin syndrome, in which the developing fetuses share a placenta and one draws blood from the other, leaving one “bloated” and the other “weak,” reports People. The syndrome is fatal 90% of the time, Martin Walker, their doctor and the director of fetal medicine at Evergreen Health Medical Center in Kirkland, Wash., tells ABC News.

The twins underwent surgery at 21 weeks gestation in September to divide the placenta, but the pressure the twins put on Gorveatt’s cervix led to complications with Link’s amniotic sac; Walker was forced to deliver him on Sept. 29. Walker then manually closed her cervix to keep Logan in utero—which he would not have been able to do had he not previously divided the placenta.

Link is so small—a “micro” preemie—that he cannot eat on his own or even be held by his parents, who must resort to touching his tiny hand through an incubator. KOMONews reports that Gorveatt is on bed rest, and could be for months: Logan’s due date is Jan. 26. She and her husband Nick are almost halfway to their goal of $7,500 on GoFundMe to help cover their mounting bills. (There is new pressure to try to save babies born as early as 22 weeks.)

By Elizabeth Armstrong Moore

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This article originally appeared on Newser: Couple’s Identical Twins Could Be Born Months Apart