Twin due to be medically aborted to save his brother makes a surprise arrival
Watch: Twin due to be medically terminated to save brother’s life made surprise arrival in the toilet
A baby who was hours away from being medically terminated to save his twin brother’s life made a surprise arrival, after his mum gave birth to him on the toilet.
Corinne Rose, 30, a restaurant manager from Southampton, suddenly went into labour and welcomed twin boys, Grayson and Neo Cattanach, when she was 32 weeks into her pregnancy.
Rose was thrilled to discover she was expecting non-identical twins, in July 2022, after fearing she couldn't have kids.
But the amniotic sac for one of the twins, Neo, burst too soon, and doctors broke the heartbreaking news that he wouldn't make it.
To give his twin, Grayson, a fighting chance, Rose made the tough decision to undergo a medical termination.
But the day of the procedure, on January 19, 2003, she found herself delivering both babies alone in the bathroom, “scooping” them out of the toilet.
Read more: Mum and daughter gave birth to their babies two weeks apart, Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read
The pair were taken to the neonatal ward and Grayson, who weighed 4lbs 6oz, was discharged after three weeks.
Thankfully, despite doctors' fears he "wouldn't pull through" Neo, who weighed just 2lbs 14oz at birth, has defied all the odds to join his brother at home, after spending nearly 13 weeks in hospital.
“I still can’t believe it," Rose says of her son's incredible arrival. “I think it was his big bro, Grayson, bringing him into the world.
“He was like, ‘Not today – Neo is coming out with me.’"
Rose was concerned she may never be a mother due to past health issues and says she had "made peace" with the thought of not having kids.
But in 2022, she was delighted to discover she had naturally conceived non-identical twins with her partner, Will Cattanach, 32, a music producer.
"I wasn't planning to get pregnant, so it came as a huge surprise," she explains.
"At first I was terrified, especially when I found out it was twins.
"But after the initial shock I started to get really excited."
Read more: Woman conceives twins 28 days apart after getting pregnant twice in one month, Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read
When Rose was 14 weeks into her pregnancy she was forced to call her midwife after feeling as if she had "peed" herself while out shopping and was urged to go to A&E.
A scan revealed her waters had broken, which meant one of the babies' amniotic sacs had ruptured too soon, leaving him losing fluid vital for healthy foetal development.
The baby – which medics identified was Neo – was also diagnosed with a catalogue of other health issues include bad lung function, bent limbs and his liver growing in his chest cavity.
Doctors broke the news that her baby was unlikely to survive.
“I had to think about what his life was going to be like," she says.
“We weighed up all the options and decided a medical termination was the best course of action.
"Also, it was the best thing for his twin, Grayson, who wasn’t getting nutrients or developing as well because of him.
“It was a horrible decision to make.”
Read more: Woman determined to become a mum has a baby on her own at 39 via a sperm donor, Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read
Rose was booked in for a medical termination on 19 January 2023 at 2pm at 32 weeks, but in the early hours of the day of the procedure, she woke up with “terrible” stomach cramps.
She rushed to the bathroom where she felt the urge to push and realised, she was in labour.
“My waters exploded, and I felt a head,” she continues.
“I had been having cramps all day but just thought it was IBS as I wasn’t due for a few weeks.
“Grayson was born first, and he came headfirst into the toilet.
“I scooped him up and five minutes later, his brother came flying out.
“It was mad – I had a baby in each hand.”
An ambulance was called and Rose and the twins were rushed to Prince Ann Hospital, Southampton, Hampshire, for medical treatment.
"Neo was wrapped in a blanket and placed on my chest in the ambulance, I thought he would just drift off to sleep," she says.
“But he was moving and squeaking and trying to open his eyes.
“I was a bit out if it and still in shock – it was very emotional.”
While doctors didn’t think Neo was going to pull through, Rose says he showed “signs of fight” and was taken to the neonatal ward with his brother.
Grayson underwent a blood transfusion and spent three weeks in hospital until he was strong enough to go home.
Meanwhile, Neo began to make "amazing progress", and was finally discharged from hospital on 17 May 2023.
Now back at home, the twins' dad, has left his current job to become Neo's full-time carer.
“Neo has been working hard in the lung department and needs a breathing machine and high flow oxygen," his mum explains.
“But his liver has flipped back to where it’s supposed to be.
“He’ll still need corrective casts on his legs when he’s older.
“But apart from his lung development, he’s a happy little boy.
“The poor kid’s been through it, but he’s such fighter,” she adds.
"I can't believe both boys are here together."
Additional reporting SWNS.
