Britain's most premature twins finally go home after being given zero percent chance of survival

Harley and Harry Crane amazed doctors after they were born at 22 weeks and five days. The twins who were conceived via IVF were initially given a zero percent chance of survival. The babies spent five months in the newborn intensive care unit at Queens Medical Hospital in Nottingham with their 39-year-old mother, Jade, by their side. According to The Daily Mail, the former mental health nurse and addiction counselor, who lives in Derby with her husband Steve, shared, "They're doing absolutely amazing. They're doing all the things that we were told they wouldn't do... they're crying, they're surviving."

She said, "The doctors were saying the babies wouldn't survive at this gestation. I was still two weeks away from what the UK classes as viable and the babies were given a zero percent chance of survival. It was only because I was at a teaching hospital and the babies were born with signs of life that they chose to intervene medically. We've waited 140 days for this. It's really emotional. Sad to leave the team but happy to be going home." Her husband Steve added, "It's been such a long time and although it's been a really, really treacherous journey, 140 days ago we didn't think we'd be here."

Doctors are not required to medically intervene with babies born prior to 24 weeks gestation as they are not considered to be viablehttps://t.co/uapkmJLjhd

— NottinghamshireLive (@nottslive) March 17, 2022

At the time of their birth, Harry weighed 520g (1.14lb) and Harley 500g (1.10lb), and both were about 15cm long. According to the BBC, doctors expected that at least one of the twins would not make it and the pair were put into the bereavement suite for parents. But Jade said the twins had been "little fighters" and "surprised everyone". The couple had tried to have children for 11 years with multiple IVFs and to them, these two are their miracle babies. They said that both the infants' personalities shined through from the first day. "Harley was extremely feisty," Jade said. "One of the nurses said she kicked her as she put her into the incubator. Which is always a good sign with a premature baby, if they show that fight really early on. Whereas Harry has always been Mr. Laid Back. He takes a back seat. He is just Mr. Chill."

So far the babies have had six operations and 25 blood transfusions between them and suffered sepsis, eye problems, and brain and lung bleeds, according to the outlet. The doctors have warned that Harry and Harley could face developmental challenges in the future. Harry who now weighs 6lbs still needs oxygen to help him breathe and will be monitored at home by his parents. The couple is staying positive and has been looking for inspirational stories about premature babies. Jade shared, "After they were born, I was Googling twins who survive at 22 weeks and trying to find any that have to give me hope. I found a set of twins in America who had survived - they're four now." Jade continued, "They'll go down in medical history - I'm pretty sure they'll be having one of the wards named after them because everyone is just amazed by them!"