Adia and Adriel Nadraja (photo: Guinness World Records official website)
A Canadian brother and sister born at 22 weeks have been announced by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's earliest premature twins.
Adia and Adriel Nadraja were born 126 days premature, surpassing the previous record of 125 days set in 2018 by twins in the US state of Iowa.
If the children had been born even one hour earlier than week 22, saving their lives would not have been possible, Guinness said.
The two's mother, Shakina Rajendram, said that when she started laboring at just 21 weeks and five days, doctors told her the babies were "not viable" and had a "0 percent chance of survival."
It was her second pregnancy, having lost her first just a few months earlier at the same hospital near their home in Ontario.
Father Kevin Ndraja said the hospital told them they would not be able to help with the pregnancy so early, leaving him awake at night praying with a "face streaming with tears".
Most hospitals don't try to save babies born before 24 to 26 weeks. But luckily, the couple was able to transfer to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, which has a specialized neonatal intensive care unit.
On the second day of Mrs. Rajendram's delivery - 21 weeks and six days into her pregnancy - she was told that if the children were born even a few minutes before the 22nd week, they would die.
Despite bleeding heavily, she said she tried her best to "hold the babies" for a few more hours.
Her water eventually broke 15 minutes after midnight.
Less than two hours after entering 22 weeks in the womb, the children were born.
Adia and Adriel are already a year old, despite serious medical problems at an early stage.
"We saw the babies almost die before our eyes many times," said Rajendram.
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twins
Premature
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Guinness World Record