“One day at a time”: Nambour mum’s miracle twin baby

A Sunshine Coast mum whose miracle baby which came with a heartbreaking loss says her late daughter “is everywhere at the same time” looking out for her brave sister.

Tia Bridge with Mater miracle Chelsea. Picture: Peter Wallis

A Nambour mum is taking life “one day at a time” after the birth of her miracle baby which came with a heart-wrenching loss.

Tia Bridge, 30, was diagnosed with rare severe twin to twin transfusion syndrome – a life-threatening condition in which both babies share one placenta.

Mater Maternal Fetal Medicine’s Professor Sailesh Kumar performed a complex surgery known as Fetoscopic Laser Photocoagulation 18 weeks into Ms Bridge’s pregnancy, in a bid to save the lives of both babies.

Using a fetoscope to locate the abnormal blood vessel connections between the babies on the surface of the placenta and then sealing them using a laser to stop the abnormal blood transfusion between the twins, the procedure can be curative with more than 80 per cent chance at least one twin will survive.

Without the procedure, neither of the twins would’ve survived.

“There are risks to the procedure including the possibility of demise of both babies,” Professor Kumar said.

Miracle baby Chelsea with her mum Tia, dad Toby and brother Lachlan. Picture: Peter Wallis

“My husband Toby and I just looked at each other and said ‘well we’ve got to try’,” Ms Bridge said.

“And then we could sit back and go, ‘you know what, we did everything we possibly could and the rest is out of our hands’.”

It was estimated Ms Bridge would go into labour 10 weeks post-surgery, but her waters broke just five weeks after the operation.

She went into labour spontaneously two weeks later and gave birth on September 27, 2022, to her miracle baby, Chelsea, who spent her first 125 days in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Tia Bridge with Mater miracle Chelsea. Picture: Peter Wallis

Her twin sister, Imogen, tragically died.

Ms Bridge has since divided her time between Brisbane and Nambour, to continue caring for her two-and-a-half-year-old son Lachlan.

“He still very much needs me at night time and Dad just doesn’t cut it a lot of the time,” Ms Bridge said.

“That’s my job. He coped amazingly through this whole thing.”

She said she was taking life “one day at a time” after the rollercoaster pregnancy.

“Even now there are a lot of boxes I haven’t opened and I’m not ready to open,” she said.

“All in good time. I just have to rely on my support networks and try to get through each day and be there for Lachlan and be Chelsea’s biggest fan, take her to all the appointments and support her as best we can.”

Ms Bridge says she felt Imogen was “looking down on us”.

“I know she comes through when you need her. When you’re having a tough day she will show herself. Any time I see a butterfly I think of her,” Ms Bridge said.

Miracle baby Chelsea was born in September last year. Picture: Peter Wallis

“If you look for her you won’t find her, but if you’re just doing the most mundane thing, like washing the dishes and you just look up out the window, there she is, just flying by, just saying hi.

“She is everywhere at the same time. But you can never get your hands on her, it’s really hard.”

Ms Bridge praised the “absolutely phenomenal” efforts of medical professionals who helped them and she said she believes “Immy is the reason Chelsea is here today”.

“I think she was cheering Chelsea on in the NICU,” Ms Bridge said.

“She just went, ‘you know what, I’ll just take the fall and I’ll be here for you, I’ll back you and you’ve got this, just keep pushing’, and she did.

“She made it. They told us she wouldn’t make it a couple of times and she just kept going. She is just the bravest person I know. She’s just so determined, she doesn’t let anything stop her.”