Heartbroken mother had to abort one twin, watch second fight for survival
A mother who was expecting twins has revealed her heartbreak at having to abort one of her babies and then watch the other fight for survival after being born premature.
Doctors told Katie Davenport she had to abort one of her babies, after they found it had several severe abnormalities.
They said attempt to carry both of them to term would result in their deaths.
The UK mother and her husband Rhys went through with the abortion shortly after having their 20 week scans, Wales Online reports, naming the unborn child Patsy, after dad Rhys' grandmother.
Then, with 16 weeks until her due date, Tilly-Sue was born at the University of Wales Hospital in Cardiff.
She weighed less than a kilogram and she had a long way to go before she was out of the woods.
"The whole thing was a total blur," Katie told the news site.
Too premature to allow mother and baby to bond through touch, Tilly-Sue was taken away and Katie would not see her for another day.
"I just wanted someone to tell me that she was going to be okay but they couldn't. We just had to take it hour by hour and hope," she said.
Tilly-Sue suffered several setbacks and her weight continued to fall.
She also suffered blood and chest infections, a collapsed lung and bleeding on the brain.
Katie and Rhys tried to carry on, looking after their four other children while "living minute to minute" as their infant daughter continued to be treated in hospital.
The first time Katie was able to touch her baby through the incubator, the little girl began choking. Katie was rushed away as doctors rushed to resuscitate her baby.
Last Christmas mother and daughter were able to have their first embrace, with Tilly-Sue's health starting to turn a corner.
One week from her scheduled due date, the couple were allowed to take Tilly-Sue home.
Tilly-Sue recently celebrated her first birthday; a thankful Katie saying the miracle would not have been possible if not for the brilliance of hospital staff.
"As much as it's hard to think about those dark days before Christmas, I'll never forget the amazing care that Tilly received on the neonatal unit," Katie said.
"I can't thank the staff there enough for everything they did."
