A mum who gave birth to a twin three times smaller than her little sister has called her little one a 'miracle'.
Audrieanna Lambert, 32, from Washington, gave birth to her twin daughters via IVF - Reagan and Mila - six months ago. The pair were born 11 weeks early, and while Mila weighed 2lb 13oz, Reagan was just a tiny 1lb.
Audrieanna has said it's a miracle Reagan survived after doctors gave stark warnings she may not.
Medics at the hospital became seriously concerned over Reagan at around 20 weeks, when they discovered she had stopped growing.
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And after the pair were born via c-section in December 2021, they were taken to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) where Mila spent 45 days growing strong enough to come home.
But little Reagan, who had battled sepsis, had to wait 118 days before she was able to join her sister at home.
“When I saw them for the first time Reagan was so much smaller than I imagined," says Audrieanna.
“The difference between them was crazy. Mila was almost three times the size.
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''They don't even look like twins they're such different sizes! I knew Reagan was going to be small but she was just so tiny.
“But they were both miracles and pulled through. Now they’re incredible.”
While the twins are now thriving, they are still different sizes, with Mila weighing 12lbs and Reagan 7lbs 5oz, and there were fears the couple could lose Reagan early on.
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“We were told the gestational sac was measuring small and it was likely she would pass,” Audrieanna continues.
''But at 15 weeks they reassured us and said that Reagan had caught up. It was the best news.
“Everything seemed fine with both of them and we were so excited to have two little girls.”
But at their 20 weeks scan, Reagan was 18 per cent smaller than her sister and falling behind again.
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“The doctors were not sure if she would make it at that point,” says Audrieanna.
“But they kept monitoring us. I was just praying we wouldn't lose her."
At 24 weeks, the couple were given the devastating news that Reagan was 50 per cent smaller and suffering issues with her cord flow - meaning the transfer or nutrients from the mother's blood across the placenta to the foetus through the umbilical cord.
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“They told us that the next time I came for a scan in two weeks she would have passed,” Audrieanna explains.
“They were certain she wouldn’t make it because everything they knew medically told them she wouldn’t. I was devastated.”
But two weeks later at the 26 week scan, doctors found that Reagan's heart was still beating.
“They were really shocked that she was still holding on. I was determined I would do everything I could for her to make it.”
One week later and Audrieanna was admitted for monitoring. But at 29 weeks, Reagan's cord flow changed and the babies had to be delivered by emergency c-section.
“I heard Mila’s nice little cry and they held her up for me so I knew she was ok but all I could hear from Reagan was a whimper," says Audrieanna.
“It was like a kittens cry. I was in a panic because I could hardly hear her and I didn't get to see her before they took her away."
When Audrieanna did see Reagan, she was so small she could fit in the palm of a hand.
“I knew she was going to be tiny but she was still so much smaller than I had imagined. Mila was three times the size.
“But Reagan was fully developed despite how minuscule she was. We were finally allowed to hold them when they were five days old. It was magical but they were so delicate and tiny.”
When the twins were just two weeks old, the family were told that Reagan had developed sepsis and was being transferred to a different hospital. But after four days, she was sent to the same hospital as Mila, who was able to go home after six weeks.
“It was so lovely to have Mila home but so hard to have to keep travelling back and forth to see her sister and for them not to be together,” Audrieanna says.
“It was amazing to have them both home. It’s been quite the journey. They still have a big size difference between them.
“When I switch between holding Mila to Reagan I can really feel how much lighter she still is.
''They're six months now and thriving and hitting all their milestones. They’ve defied the odds."
Lucy Devine