Mum, alanna Merrie, 33, gave birth to the pair of record-ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ boys at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary viaᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
Enormous baby brothers Troy and Kaius arrived via ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ and astonished midwives at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with their combined weight of 16lb 13oz. They weighed 8lb 12oz and 8lb 1oz respectively, and are thought to be the heaviest twins ever born in Scotland.
Alanna, a student doctor, said: “The staff at the hospital was saying to me that they have never ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ twins this big before. It was genuinely quite ɑ surprise. I did have ɑ huge b.u.mp, though, and total strangers kept coming up to me asking whether I was going to give birth on the spot as I was that big.”
During her pregnancy, alanna went for regular check-ups which revealed the babies were slightly larger than normal. The arrival of the twins is particularly poignant for the couple, whose first daughter Aubyn d.e.d a few days after she was born.
Alanna said: “Kaius looked so much like our first daughter Aubyn. One of the community midwives said to me that in having twins we were somehow getting her back to us and the boys were bringing our family together.”
Troy and Kaius are now at home being doted on by their one-year-old sister Ayla. Alanna added: “The boys are doing great and it is really nice for us all to be back home. They are quite chilled out and they love a cuddle.”
Shona Finch, acting clinical manager for maternity at N.H.S Lothian, said: “ɑ combined weight of 16lb 13oz is very unusual and probably the heaviest set of twins we have ever delivered.”
Most women carrying twins or other multiples ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀ healthy babies. But you’re at higher ʀɪsᴋ for pregnancy ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs if you’re carrying more than one baby. The greatest ʀɪsᴋ is ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ birth, which could put your baby in ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ of low birth weight and other problems.
Other potential ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs of a multiple pregnancies for baby include ɪɴᴛʀᴀᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ growth ʀᴇsᴛʀɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ ғʟᴜɪᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴜᴍʙɪʟɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍs, and birth ᴅᴇꜰᴇᴄᴛs. For moms, carrying multiples increases the ʀɪsᴋ of ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ʜʏᴘᴇʀᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ, ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴅɪᴀʙᴇᴛᴇs, ᴘʀᴇᴇᴄʟᴀᴍᴘsɪᴀ, ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ, and other problems. You don’t need to be on bed rest if you’re carrying multiples, though you may need to limit your physical activity if you develop ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs.
