A mum who gave birth to twins 16 weeks early lost her son at 21 days old - while his tiny sister survived after a 101 day fight for her life in hospital. <br /><br />Breanna Seibel, 30, and her husband, Chase, 32, an electrician, were "excited" when they found out they were expecting two babies at their five-week scan in December 2021. <br /><br />But just 20 weeks into the pregnancy, Breanna started experiencing back pain and felt like she was going into labour - four months early. <br /><br />Doctors checked her over and sent her home but a few weeks later, on April 19, 2022, Breanna started experiencing contractions. <br /><br />She was rushed to hospital and seen by specialists - who determined she was in labour and already 1cm dilated and 100 effaced. <br /><br />Medics managed to stabilise Breanna and she was admitted to hospital on bed rest.<br /><br />She managed to make it to 24 weeks when she started bleeding heavily on April 23, 2022, and doctors told her they had to deliver the twins right away. <br /><br />Just 30 minutes later Teddy and Vivi were born at 4.30pm and 4.31pm - weighing 1lbs 8oz and 1lbs 7oz respectively. <br /><br />The babies were immediately placed in incubators and whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) - where it was "touch and go".<br /><br />Sadly, after 21 days in the NICU, Teddy passed away due to a brainstem herniation - the shifting of the brain tissue from one space in the skull to another - on May 14, 2022.<br /><br />Vivi continued to fight for her life and after 101 days in hospital, she was able to be discharged, in August 2022 - with Breanna describing the moment as "bittersweet". <br /><br />Breanna, a nurse, from Saint Paul, Minnesota, US, said: "When Teddy died I went into survival mode - it is nothing than trying to make it out alive.<br /><br />"That night, Vivi's lungs were the clearest I had ever seen them be.<br /><br />"When we left hospital in August, it was really hard - we were still scared about Vivi's health. <br /><br />"If she got sick we knew she could be immediately admitted.<br /><br />"It was a bittersweet moment - we had the nursery set up with two cribs and two sets of everything."<br /><br />Breanna had been experiencing back pain for a few weeks before she found out she was in early labour. <br /><br />She said: "By the time I went in I was a few centimetres dilated so it was likely that I had been in labour the whole time.<br /><br />"My contractions at that point were very strong and really close together.<br /><br />"I stood up and there was blood everywhere but my waters didn't break.<br /><br />"They said they wanted to deliver my babies there and then but it was a small hospital and they did not have the facilities I needed."<br /><br />Breanna got blue-lighted to a larger hospital - which the facilities to deliver and care for premature babies - in Minnesota and Chase followed behind in his car.<br /><br />She said: "It was all a bit of a whirlwind.<br /><br />"I had a lot of ultrasounds by a specialist and I was monitored a lot.<br /><br />"They gave me a magnesium drip and were monitoring my contractions."
