The tragedy behind Manchester mum after she gives birth to twins 22 days apart
29.03.2024 - 17:03
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A Manchester mum gave birth to her twins 22 days apart in different hospitals. Kayleigh Doyle, 22, was pregnant with perfectly healthy twins and didn't know there were any problems until her waters broke at 22 weeks.
Tragically, her firstborn son, Arlo, was stillborn via a natural delivery - and doctors told her to prepare for 'twin two' to arrive soon and not survive. But incredibly Arlo's twin brother didn't arrive and her contractions stopped - and Kayleigh was sent home to rest.
Some 22 days later Astro was delivered via c-section and survived against all the odds. Doctors were “baffled” by the gap - and Kayleigh hasn’t found another “twin mum” who has a bigger gap.
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Proud Kayleigh said raising one baby while grieving his twin was incredibly hard - especially as they had "bought two of everything". But she channelled her grief into supporting others and is now a NICU volunteer.
Kayleigh said: “After the trauma of giving birth to my first baby - I was gobsmacked when they said I could go home. To this day, I still can’t find a woman in the UK who can beat 22 days.
“I was assigned a doctor by a different hospital, and we had daily check-ups in between the two births. Every day that passed, he’d say he genuinely couldn’t believe it. When Astro arrived I couldn't believe he had survived all that time."
Kayleigh fell pregnant with the twins in October 2020 and all her scans were normal. She didn’t experience any complications until she was hit with labour pains on March 15, 2021.
“I was aware of all the risks that came with having twins,” she said. “I even paid for private GP appointments because I was so worried about