Breanna Dale was only able to hold her newborn twins, Amelia Jane and Elhora Ory, for about an hour after they were born on February 29 — but she said every minute was filled with “peace” and “awe.”
Three months before that, 17 weeks pregnantShe and her husband, Matthew Dale, had an ultrasound to find out the sex of their baby.
atlanta couple I was surprised to see that the single heartbeat on the monitor belonged to two girls. The twins were conjoined at the torso.
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“Everything changed in that moment,” Dale, a 24-year-old housewife, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.
“I panicked and started crying.”
Amelia Jane Dale and Elhora Orry Dale were born on February 29 at 7:37 a.m. They each weighed 3.5 pounds. (Mandy Daniel Photography)
Doctors told the couple that the chances of separating the twins were slim to none – which meant their chances of survival were negligible.
“Since his heart was fused, it would be very complicated,” Dale said.
The couple saw many experts For MRI and other tests.
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“A lot of appointments were made in the hope they would be wrong and something would be done – but that didn’t happen,” Dale said.
One month before the birth of the twins, a cardiologist He confirmed that there would be no way to separate the twins, and they would likely not survive.
The Dales focused on preparing for the delivery and all the different outcomes they might face.
“Their hearts were truly one unit,” Dale said. “I was often asked the question: ‘Can’t you save one of them?’ It wasn’t possible, because they couldn’t live without each other.”
After this difficult news, the Dales focused on preparing for the delivery and all the different outcomes they might face.
“Northside Hospital (in Atlanta) was wonderful,” Dale said. “They were very kind and considerate of our situation and our family.”
‘Never lost hope’
Dell, who already had a one-year-old son, Dallas, was given the option Having an Abortion – But he said he “never even thought of that.”
“Our thinking was always, ‘What can we do to protect and preserve them?'” he said.
“Our belief was the biggest factor in the decision we made.”
“Our faith was the biggest factor in the decision we made,” he said. “I don’t know how a person can get through a situation like that without any faith. keep faith,
Dale said despite the twins’ diagnosis, she believes they were a gift from God who came to her for a purpose.
“When I was first told they were conjoined, it was just a bubble of devastation, sadness, confusion, uncertainty, and fear,” the mother of twins recalled. “But no one can completely predict the future, and you never know what the outcome will be.” (Mandy Daniel Photography)
“When I was first told they were connected, it was just a bubble of devastation, sadness, confusion, uncertainty and fear,” he recalled.
“But nobody can completely predict the future, and you never know what the outcome will be.”
However, Dale said she faced difficult emotional struggles as the pregnancy progressed.
“I’m serious anxiety attacks“I knew what the outcome would be – but you can’t really prepare yourself for that,” he said.
She added, “Towards the end of my pregnancy, my mind was in a lot of turmoil, my stomach was in knots, and I knew my body was trying to tell me, ‘Hey, you’re not okay.’
‘Feeling of peace’
Amelia Jane Dale and Elhora Orry Dale were born on February 29 at 7:37 a.m.
They each weighed 3.5 pounds.
Matthew and Breanna Dale are pictured holding their twin daughters after they were born on Feb. 29. “It was amazing to see how their little bodies were still functioning,” Breanna Dale said. (Mandy Daniel Photography)
The girls came into the world the same way they appeared in subsequent ultrasounds — with their arms wrapped around each other’s necks.
“The way they connected was really cute – they were hugging each other, just like they would hug when they were alive,” Dale said.
“Knowing they were there and that I held them alive made me feel at peace.”
“It was amazing to see how their little bodies were still functioning,” he added.
“They didn’t move much or open their eyes – but knowing they were there, and that I was holding them alive, gave me a sense of peace… I couldn’t imagine living without meeting them.”
What to know about conjoined twins
conjoined twins Statistics show that they are rare, occurring in one in every 50,000 to 200,000 births.
According to StatPearls, a medical resource available on the website of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the condition occurs when a fertilized egg splits into two embryos 13 days after fertilization.
Girls are about three times more likely to be affected than boys.
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“Conjoined twins are classified based on the location of their conjoining and their shared organs,” Dr. Marshall Runge, M.D., Ph.D., and CEO of Michigan Medicine — who did not treat Dale or the babies — told Fox News Digital.
“Survival rates vary considerably depending on the ability to successfully separate shared organs.”
The doctor said that twins who have identical hearts or parts of their brains have the highest mortality rate.
Matthew and Breanna Dale are pictured with their one-year-old son, Dallas Dale. (Breanna Dale)
“Even if they survive the initial isolation, many of them face long-term health challenges and may require care.” additional surgery,” Runge said.
According to the doctor, the overall survival rate for conjoined twins after separation is around 75%, but this can vary greatly depending on a number of factors.
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StatPearls says the majority of twins (28%) are joined at the thorax (torso) and abdomen.
The other 18.5% are attached to the thorax and 10% are attached to the abdomen.
Girls are three times more likely to have twins than boys. (Mandy Daniel Photography)
In 10% of cases, heteropagus (parasitic twins) occurs, in which one twin is less developed than the other.
In 6% of cases the twins are joined at the skull.
Raised by support
Dales said she received a lot of support throughout her journey from her family, friends and church, as well as people she reached out to on social media.
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“We have a wonderful church family that has surrounded us with love and prayers,” Dale said.
They also created a Facebook page for the girls, where people connected with the family and sent messages of encouragement and love.
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After his time with the kids ended, the Dales faced a long road ahead. Treatment and recovery,
The location where the babies are joined is an important factor in whether or not surgery is needed to separate them. (Mandy Daniel Photography)
“Sometimes I feel fine, and then I have very difficult moments, difficult days or even difficult weeks.”
He also added, “I definitely miss my kids.”
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Dales plans to Grow your family In the future.
“We definitely want more kids,” Dale told Fox News Digital.
“I was often asked this question: ‘Can’t you save one of them?’” Breanna Dale said. “That wasn’t possible, because they couldn’t live without each other.” (Mandy Daniel Photography)
According to StatPearls, a previous twin pregnancy does not increase the risk of recurrence.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Atlanta’s Northside Hospital for comment.
