This is the moment tiny twins were reunited for the first time after being separated at birth – and gave each other a cuddle.
Baby Neve and ‘big’ brother Louie were born via emergency C-section as she was not getting enough nutrients in the womb.
According to the Liverpool Echo, doctors warned the tiny girl ‘wouldn’t make it’ after her early birth on March 8, 2021.
But brave Neve battled through and has now been reunited with sibling Louie several weeks later.
Parents Laura Hough and Chris Carey have been taking photos to document the twins’ journey ever since.
The first-time mum has also described her pregnancy and told how they feared Neve may not live.
Speaking about the pregnancy, Laura told the Liverpool Echo that the hospital wanted to wait until 28 weeks before performing an emergency C-section but she was warned that Neve ‘wasn’t going to make it’.
I kept getting told by the hospital that she wasn’t going to make it.
“They wanted her to make it to 28 weeks so they were keeping an eye on her blood flow.
“And because it stayed stable they pushed it to 30 weeks before performing the emergency C-section.”
Louie was born at Liverpool Women’s Hospital at 2.12pm, and his younger sister was born two minutes later in a different operation.
Despite the anxieties, Neve was born healthy and able to breathe on her own. She weighed only 1 pound and 7 ounces, about the size of a little doll, whereas Louie weighed just over 3 pounds.
Laura, from Walton, Merseyside, said: “When they did come out she didn’t need any oxygen at all, she was fine.
“It was Louie, both of his lungs collapsed because he had air in them.
“So he ended up receiving treatment to drain the air out of his lungs.”
The twins were separated as soon as they were born in order for them to undergo therapy.
Louie and Neve have now been able to share the same incubator after two weeks.
Laura admitted that despite her joy when her babies were born, she was also scared because the doctors had warned her that Neve might not make it.
But the baby girl has proven to be a ‘little fighter’, with Laura describing her as ‘unbelievable’ for thriving despite being born smaller than a ‘baby’s doll’.
Laura continued: ‘She’s wiped our eyes to be honest.
‘All the doctors who come and see her have a soft spot for her, and they’re made up with the both of them.
‘They said they’ll miss them when they leave because they need more little fighters like that to keep them going.
‘They’ve never seen a baby like her before; she’s so small and doesn’t need oxygen or anything to help her breathe; she’s doing it all by herself.’
‘She’s smaller than a baby’s doll but she’s doing so well, she’s unbelievable.’
Laura said: “They ended up with their arms over each other, their legs crossed and holding hands.”
“She tried to put her hands around his neck – it was funny to watch them.”
