Sad news for mom who gave birth to twins 14 days apart

A woman who gave birth to twin boys 14 days apart in two different provinces is in mourning.

The first twin was delivered at Kuruman Hospital in the Northern Cape on 27 March, and the second was delivered at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein on 10 April.

On Sunday it was confirmed that the second twin had died.

“The sad development is that the second baby Twin born at Universitas Academic Hospital passed away,” Free State Department of Health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said.

Twins are usually born minutes apart. If born on different days, one is born just before midnight on one day and the other shortly after midnight on the next day, potentially leading to different birthdays. 

It is possible that twins can be born on different days, but it is rare. According to the Washington State Twin Registry, the longest interval between twins on record was 90 days.

Woman gives birth on different days

The department is set to host a media briefing on Monday to explain how the woman was able to give birth 14 days apart to healthy twin boys. The briefing will be held at the Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein.

“On Monday, we will hear directly from the mother and our team of medical specialists, who will provide expert insight into how such a unique birth was possible and what it means medically,” Mvambi said.

The briefing will still go ahead, despite the child’s death.

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Possible complications at birth

The Washington State Twin Registry explained that a twin pregnancy is sometimes prolonged to give each baby the best chance of survival.

“If one baby has to be delivered prematurely, doctors can often stop the labour and delay delivery to give the other baby more time in the womb to grow and develop.”

If one twin has complications, doctors might need to induce labour or perform a C-section, potentially leading to a birth on a different day or even month for the other twin.

Twins born on different days

Babies born on different days can still be called twins if they were conceived during the same pregnancy, even if they were born at different times. 

The term “twins” refers to the fact that they were produced from the same pregnancy, regardless of the exact birth date or time difference.

In China, a woman gave birth to twins, one from each of her two wombs. The babies, a boy and a girl, were delivered via caesarean section.

“It is extremely rare for twins to be conceived naturally in each cavity of the uterus. It’s even more rare for them to be carried to term,” said the hospital where the twins were born.

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