WATCH: Ayla and Nayla the miracle twins

AFTER getting married on September 24 of last year and falling pregnant on their honeymoon, the lives of a young couple from Glenesk took a big turn when the mother, Raeesa, gave birth to twin girls three months prematurely. The parents share the incredible story.

Saadat (29) and Raeesa (23) Daniels realised, soon into the pregnancy, that it was not a normal pregnancy. Raeesa explains: “As the pregnancy progressed, I became all the more ill and the complications became more and more evident. The simplest of tasks became too strenuous and I required constant assistance.

Not allowed to hold them

“Coupled with having low blood pressure, Saadat and I decided to move in with my parents so that my mother could assist and take care of me while my husband wasn’t at home. Even a simple trip to the bathroom and back was a nightmare for me.”

Raeesa and Saadat’s lives changed on Saturday, February 4 when Raeesa felt piercing sharp pains and was rushed to hospital. It never crossed their minds that Raeesa was at the start of labour, only 24 weeks into the pregnancy.

On Monday morning, February 6, Raeesa met with her gynaecologist who, after doing an ultra sound, announced that an emergency c-section had to be performed because the micro, premature babies were ready to exit the womb. To make the situation twice as shocking, the doctor announced that the twins’ chances of survival were slim to none.

At 10am that morning, Raeesa headed off to undergo surgery at the Garden City Hospital. Forty-four minutes later, Ayla and Nayla Daniels were born, each weighing only 500 grams. “There was no usual cry, just dead silence while the doctor and nurse rushed off with the twins,” says Raeesa. “We were not allowed to hold or touch them. We only saw them a while later.”

An emotional rollercoaster

Throughout the twins’ stay in hospital, they had to be resuscitated often and their immune systems were very weak. They still have scars called broviac lines, which were used as makeshift veins for the twins’ medications to flow through because their veins were not developed enough on their own and could burst easily. They also miraculously beat a candida infection, despite their vulnerability.

The girls relied on numerous machines to stay alive such as ventilators, nasal prongs, an incubator, nCPAP ( makes breathing easier for a baby by delivering oxygen into their lungs) and others.

“It was an emotional rollercoaster,” says Raeesa. “One week they would do well and progress, and the next they would regress. But, on the April 28, more than three months after their birth, we were permitted to ‘kangaroo’ our daughters and hold them for the very first time since birth.

“In the meantime, the nurses became like family to us and supported us through the happy days and laughs; hard days and and tears. Family and friends supported us which really assisted us in getting through the ordeal,” Raeesa adds with a smile.

Miracles can happen

Nayla was discharged at five and a half months, weighing 2.1 kilograms. Ayla, however, was only discharged at seven months, weighing 2.8kgs.

At 8.30pm on the Sunday before Ayla was supposed to be discharged, her parents received a phone call that they needed to say goodbye to her – her lung had collapsed and it wasn’t looking good for little Ayla at all.

Fortunately, by some miracle, Ayla pulled through. She was put on an oscillator machine, was sedated and after many prayers she made a full recovery. She was discharged a few weeks later.

Now, the girls are safe at home and are doing well. Of course, they are a bit different from the average nine month-old baby, but they visit their paediatrician and eye specialist every month for a check-up, which they will be doing until they are at least a year old.

“All the scars on them are heart-breaking but a reminder that, with faith, miracles can happen. That’s why the hospital staff call them the miracle twins,” says Raeesa, smiling at her daughters.

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Unfortunately, Saadat and Raeesa were forced into crippling debt to save their daughters’ lives. “We were forced to sell our house, vehicles and cash out the few investments we had in an attempt to cover the medical expenses,” says Raeesa. “Thankfully, my parents took us in and have been a great help thus far, but we are struggling to keep our heads above water.”

If you feel like you want to help the Daniels family in any way, feel free to give them a call on 076 430 6734 or 061 970 8284 or email mizzdavids@gmail.com.

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