A set of twin girls at the Holweide Hospital in Cologne, Germany, were born 97 days apart something doctors believe could be a world record and have hailed a ‘medical sensation’.
The non-identical sisters have such a big birth gap that they were actually born in different years.
Mother Oxana gave birth to little Liana prematurely at 26 weeks on 17 November 2018; the tiny baby weighed just 900g (2lbs).
Then after the long wait of 3 months baby Leonie came along four days after Oxana’s due date on 22 February – and weighed a heftier 3.7kg (8.1lbs).
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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
Recommended Video!
“After Spending 485 Days In Hospital, Conjoined Twins Are Finally Going Home After A Risky Operation”