Two Canadian twin siblings born at 22 weeks have been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s most premature twins, BBC reported on March 7.
Adiah and Adrial Nadarajah, the twin girl and boy, were born 126 days early, surpassing the previous record of 125 days set in 2018 by a set of twins in Iowa, USA.
Adrial (left) and Adiah sitting next to the Guinness World Records certificate recognizing them as the world’s most premature twins. (Photo: GWR).
At birth, the twins had translucent skin and weighed only 330g and 420g, making them the lightest twins ever born.
On March 4, the twins celebrated their first birthday in Ajax, Southern Ontario, Canada. At the same time, they were officially recognized by Guinness World Records (GWR) as the world’s most premature twins.
Their mother, Shakina Rajendram, shared that when she began labor at 21 weeks and 5 days, doctors told her that the children “could not survive” and had “0% chance of survival.”
This was Shakina Rajendram’s second pregnancy, following a miscarriage just a few months earlier at the same hospital near their home in Ontario.
The twins’ father, Kevin Nadarajah, recounted that the hospital had said they would not be able to assist with such a premature pregnancy, which kept him awake all night praying with a “tear-streaked face.”
“There are no words to describe the emotional, mental, and physical trauma we went through,” Rajendram said.
Most hospitals struggle to save children born before 24-26 weeks. Fortunately, the couple was transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, which has a specialized neonatal intensive care unit.
On the second day of Rajendram’s labor, at 21 weeks and 6 days pregnant, she was informed that if the children were born even a few minutes before reaching 22 weeks, their chances of survival would be slim.
Despite significant bleeding, she did her best to “hold the babies in” for a few more hours.
Her amniotic fluid finally broke 15 minutes past midnight. Less than 2 hours after she entered the 22nd week of pregnancy, the twins were born.
Adiah and Adrial are now one year old, despite facing serious medical issues from very early on.
In the second week after their birth, Adrial suddenly suffered from a perforated intestine, leading to sepsis and significant inflammation throughout his body. His fragile skin began to peel off widely.
“We witnessed children almost die right before our eyes,” Rajendram said.
“While they were being closely monitored by doctors, both have ‘done very well.’“
