This is the moment tiny ᴛᴡɪɴs were ʀᴇᴜɴɪᴛᴇᴅ for the first time after being sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʙɪʀᴛʜ – and gave each other a cuddle. Baby Neve and ‘big’ brother Louie ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙᴏʀɴ ᴠɪᴀ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ as she was not getting enough nutrients in the ᴡᴏᴍʙ. Doctors had said the little girl ‘ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ’ after the ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ʙɪʀᴛʜ on March 8. Baby Louie was ʙᴏʀɴ weighing 3 pounds 3 ounces (approx. 1.45 kg). Neve weighed just 1 pound 7 ounces (approx. 0.65 kg), yet she came out fighting and not even needing to be hooked up to an oxygen supply. Laura said: “She’s smaller than a baby’s doll but she’s doing so well, she’s unbelievable.” Brave Neve battled through and has now been ʀᴇᴜɴɪᴛᴇᴅ with sibling Louie several weeks later.

Parents Laura Hough and Chris Carey have been taking photos to document the ᴛᴡɪɴs’ journey ever since. The first-time mum has also described her ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ and told how they feared Nᴇᴠᴇ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴠᴇ. She said: “They had me up the wall. I was going to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ twice a week as Neve, her ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ ᴡᴀs ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀɪᴏʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ. Her and Louie were in sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇ ʙᴀɢs and he was fine but it was ᴀꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ flow so I had to have an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. For a good few weeks I was carrying them I kept getting told by the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ that sʜᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ. They ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ it to 28 weeks so they were ᴋᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ꜰʟᴏᴡ. And because it stayed stable they pushed it to 30 weeks before performing the ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.”

After the ᴛᴡɪɴs were ʙᴏʀɴ at Lɪᴠᴇʀᴘᴏᴏʟ Wᴏᴍᴇɴ’sʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ, Louie weighed over his sister was just over. But it was he who seemed to be sᴜꜰꜰᴇʀɪɴɢ more after his ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ. Laura, from Wᴀʟᴛᴏɴ, Mᴇʀsᴇʏsɪᴅᴇ, said: “When they did come out she ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀɴʏ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ at all, she was fine. It was Louie, ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ʜɪs ʟᴜɴɢs ᴄᴏʟʟᴀᴘsᴇᴅ because he had air in them. So he ended up receiving ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅʀᴀɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɪʀ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜɪs ʟᴜɴɢs.” The decision was made to sᴇᴘᴀʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴛᴡɪɴs as soon as they were ʙᴏʀɴ so they could ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ.

Now, two weeks on, both Louie and Neve have finally been allowed in the same incubator together. Laura said: “About two nights ago one of the other babies was being moved to a different unit so they brought Neve down and put her in the same room as her brother. Then yesterday they put them both in the same incubator at the same time. They ended up with their arms over each other, their legs crossed and holding hands. She tried to put her hands around his neck – it was funny to watch them.”

Laura said she was “ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴜᴘ” when they were ʙᴏʀɴ as she wanted to meet them but at the same time she was sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ because doctors were telling her Neve ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ. She added: “She’s ᴡɪᴘᴇᴅ ᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs to be honest. All the doctors who come and see her have a soft spot for her, and they’re ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴜᴘ with the both of them. They said they’ll miss them when they leave because they need more little fighters like that to keep them going. They’ve never seen a baby like her, sᴏ sᴍᴀʟʟ without having to have any ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʜᴇʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ sʜᴇ’s just doing it all on her own.”