‘Best Christmas present’: family’s festive joy as miracle twins Lilly and Lucy defy odds
This pair of identical twin girls are finally able to join their Qld family at home to celebrate their first magical Christmas together.
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A Central Queensland couple is celebrating their own Christmas miracle after their premature twin baby girls finally came home after spending a combined 125 days in hospital.
Melissa and Matthew Heald, both 31, relocated more than 500km from Gladstone to South Brisbane before welcoming identical twin girls, Lucy and Lilly, on September 6 at Mater Mothers’ Hospital.
This Christmas, holding both her daughters at home is a dream come true for Mrs Heald.
The couple, who have two older children, Billie, 12, and Cooper, 8, moved closer to Mater’s Centre for Maternal Foetal Medicine in South Brisbane so doctors could monitor the health of their unborn babies.
Doctors advised Mrs Heald to be near a neonatal unit in case her girls arrived unexpectedly and required medical intervention.
Lucy and Lilly were born via emergency caesarean section at 31 weeks’ due to foetal distress.
Lucy, weighing 1400g, spent 50 days in Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit, while Lilly, at just 867g, spent 75 days in hospital.
Lilly was diagnosed with jejunal atresia, a rare birth defect causing a blockage in her small bowel.
She underwent her first surgery 22 hours after birth at Queensland Children’s Hospital, which Mrs Heald described as a “tense four-hour procedure that felt like an eternity”.
A second surgery on day 64 exceeded expectations with Lilly making a full recovery.
While in utero, the twins faced risks from Twin Anaemia Polycythaemia Sequence and Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.
The conditions occur in identical twins sharing one placenta and can cause severe complications.
“From 18 weeks, I travelled from Gladstone to Brisbane every fortnight and sometimes weekly, based on doctors’ recommendations,” Mrs Heald said.
At 28 weeks, she relocated to Ronald McDonald House in Brisbane for closer monitoring.
“There was always a risk that the smaller twin, Lilly, might not survive due to her size,” she said.
“If Lilly became ill in utero, it could have jeopardised Lucy’s health as well.”
She expressed immense gratitude to Mater’s multidisciplinary team for their care, saying, “Each visit left us reassured about our progress. Everyone attentively listened to our concerns and made us feel valued,” she said.
The family’s older children are thrilled to celebrate Christmas with their little sisters finally home.
“We’re excited to celebrate with family from across Australia, creating beautiful memories together,” said Mrs Heald.
Every year, Mater Mothers’ Hospital’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit cares for more than 1800 sick and premature babies like Lucy and Lilly.
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