Kambry and Keeley Ewoldt are the most ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ surviving twins ever to have been delivered at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The twins were born in late November after 22 weeks of gestation, compared to the average human gestation period of 40 weeks, or around nine months.

‘They would be clearly among the top four or five earliest babies ever delivered here. For 22-week babies to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ, it’s incredibly rare. Nationally, sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ is around 10 percent,’ Doctor continued. While in the womb, the babies were ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ with twin – twin ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴜsɪᴏɴ sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ (TTTS), which is a ᴜɴᴜsᴜᴀʟ Fᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ of ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴠᴇssᴇʟs that connect identical twins sharing a ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ, The disorder can be Fᴀᴛᴀʟ for both twins because it creates an ᴜɴᴇᴠᴇɴ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ Fʟᴏᴡ between the babies. (TTTS) is also very rare,’ said Klein.

‘A lot of patients ᴘᴀss ᴀᴡᴀy before they are even born.’ The twins ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴇɴᴛ sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ in ᴜᴛᴇʀᴏ at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to disconnect the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴠᴇssᴇʟs – but even when treated the ᴅɪsᴏʀᴅᴇʀ often causes ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ birth.

The twins’ mother, Jade Ewoldt, 28, of Dysart, Iowa said that she was sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ when she realized her water broke at home on November 23. ” I was so mad and upset and scared. I was just praying the girls wouldn’t be born at home.’ said Ewoldt

Jade was taken to the hospital in an ᴀᴍʙᴜʟᴀɴᴄᴇ, which was an excruciatingly long one-hour and fifteen-minute ride. Fortunately, the twins waited long enough for their mother to arrive at the hospital. When they were delivered, they were incredibly small and each was the size of a dollar bill.

‘I’d never heard of babies being born this early. We didn’t have a lot of positive thoughts. They told us from the get-go this is going to be a roller-coaster ride.’’’ said Wesley Ewoldt,

According to Klein, numerous ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs are associated with babies being born that early. Their skin was so fragile that it could tear at the softest touch and they did not have formed eyelids yet. Their hearts were the size of thumbnails. Respirators were used to give the girls miniature puffs of air to keep them breathing. So much goes into making sure these two little girls stay alive,’ Jade said. The delivery was a success, but now the twins need to stay at the neonatal intensive care unit until their original due date – which is March 29. Jade and Wesley spend most days with the twins at the hospital. Oftentimes they’ll bring their daughter Kollins, 3, and their five-year-old son Koy. ‘They’ve ʙᴇᴀᴛ all the odds against them so far,’ said Jade.