A set of twin girls were born more than three months apart – in different years!
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’.
Mom, Oxana, went into labor initially at just 26 weeks and gave birth to Liana on November 17, 2018. She weighed just 2lbs.
Liana then had a long wait until she could be reunited with her sister, Leonie, who arrived four days after their due date on 22 February, weighing 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.
As contractions ceased, doctors decided that the new mom should continue with her pregnancy and see if she could go full-term with the second twin. Incredibly, it worked. A spokesperson for Holweide hospital in Cologne 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 97 days between them, it’s thought the twins might have set a new world record. According to research carried out by the hospital, the nearest they could find was a case of twin girls 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.”
Liana spent her first few weeks in a neonatal care unit at the hospital where she stayed until she was strong enough to go home.
The spokesperson added: “The two girls are reunited at their family home and will grow up healthy.”
