UK’s most premature twins, given 0% chance of survival, go home after 5 months

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 21, 2022. It has since been updated.

Jade and Steve Crane had been together for 14 years and they had always wanted to be parents. Being unable to get pregnant naturally, they tried IVF for 11 years. After many heartbreaks, the couple was finally expecting twins, but at only 22 weeks and 5 days the babies were born so prematurely the parents were told they wouldn't survive and couldn't even be classed as "legally viable." They were dubbed "the U.K.'s most premature twins." Now, five months after their birth, little Harley and Harry Crane, who were conceived via IVF, are heading home with their parents in what's being called a miracle. They were given a zero chance of survival, reported Good News Network.

Their mother, 39-year-old Jade, has been by their side throughout the five months at a newborn intensive care unit at Queens Medical Hospital in Nottingham, caring for them. Their father, Steve got really emotional when talking about their survival. “They’re doing absolutely amazing. They’re doing all the things that we were told they wouldn’t do—they’re crying, they’re surviving. It’s really emotional,” said Steve, 52. “140 days ago we didn’t think we’d be here.” The twins are now home, just two and a half weeks after their original due date. 

Jade and Steve's journey to this point has been an emotional one. They initially tried to get pregnant naturally for three years until Jade suffered an ectopic pregnancy. The couple then decided to start IVF in 2010. They also experienced three heartbreaking miscarriages on IVF which took an emotional toll on them. “Steve and I have been together for 14 years, and 11 of those have been spent doing IVF,” said Jade.

Jade checked into the hospital on October 26, when she was 22 weeks pregnant. The doctor told them she had suffered a miscarriage but she was sure she hadn't. Jade kept insisting that they were alive because she could feel the babies moving. The couple had been buying clothes just as most expecting parents do. “The few bits of clothes that I did buy made me think that I better keep the tags on just in case – you just don’t want to let yourself believe,” she said. A nurse explained to them that the baby was born too early to survive and added that's why they couldn't hear the baby cry. Steve thanked the hospital staff for helping them. "The absolutely stunning doctors, nurses, and surgeons have all been part of the making of this moment. It's hard to say goodbye to them but I hope I never see them again," said Steve.

In spite of what the nurse had said, they insisted that they had heard the baby cry. “I heard this little cry. Harry did the same when he was born an hour later. Their little cries sounded like a tiny kitten," said Jade. The nurse told them they wouldn't survive but Jade and Steve, who had been trying for a baby for 13 years, weren't about to give up. They knew they were hoping against hope. “After they were born, I was Googling twins who survive at 22 weeks and trying to find any to give me hope,” said Jade. “I found a set of twins in America who had survived—they’re four now. I’ve connected with their mum on Instagram and she guided me through the first few days of being in the unit and what to ask for."

Jade was told her babies were born with lung problems and also diagnosed with a serious gastrointestinal problem. The couple was told these issues could prove to be fatal. Despite being constantly prepared to say goodbye to the twins, the babies surprised them as they made it through each day until they were finally brought home. “They’ll go down in medical history – I’m pretty sure they’ll be having one of the wards named after them because everyone is just amazed by them!” said Steve, reported BBC.