Miracle twin due to be terminated to save brother’s life makes shock arrival in toilet

A twin who was due to be medically terminated to save his brother’s life made a shock arrival in the toilet.

Mum Corinne Rose, 30, had to “scoop” her newborn baby boys Grayson and Neo Cattanach out of the loo after suddenly going into labour at 32 weeks along.

Neo had been given little chance of survival after his amniotic sack burst early, with Corinne told by doctors that he wouldn’t make it. To give his brother Grayson a fighting chance, the 30-year-old made the tough decision to have Neo terminated, before finding herself delivering both twins alone in her bathroom just hours before the scheduled procedure.

The boys were born on 19 January this year, with Grayson weighing 4lbs 6oz and Neo weighing a mere 2lb 14oz. The pair both went to the neonatal ward and Grayson was discharged after three weeks, while Neo defied all the odds and finally joined his brother at home on 17 May, after almost 13 weeks in hospital.

Corrine, a restaurant manager, from Southampton, Hampshire, said: “I still can’t believe it. It was the morning of the procedure when they both arrived. I think it was his big bro, Grayson, bringing him into the world. He was like, ‘not today – Neo is coming out with me.’ The poor kid’s been through the wringer, but he’s such a fighter.”

Corinne had feared she couldn’t have children due to past health issues and had “made peace” with the thought of not having kids. But she was delighted when she fell pregnant with the non-identical twins in July 2022, after naturally conceiving with her music producer partner Will Cattanach, 32.

She said: "Doctors weren’t sure if I could conceive - I sort of accepted it. I wasn’t planning to get pregnant, so it came as a huge surprise. At first I was terrified, especially when I found out it was twins. But after the initial shock I started to get really excited.”

But at 14 weeks into the pregnancy, Corinne was forced to call her midwife after feeling as if she had “peed” herself while out shopping, and was quickly sent to A&E at Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, Hampshire.

A scan revealed that her waters had broken which meant the amniotic sac for one of the babies had burst too soon and was losing fluid vital for healthy foetal development.

The baby, which medics identified as Neo, was also diagnosed with a string of other health issues including bad lung function, bent limbs and his liver growing in his chest cavity. Corinne was later given the tragic news by doctors that he was unlikely to survive.

She recalled: “I had to think about what his life was going to be like. 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, but I had made my peace with the fact I was only having one baby.”

Corinne was due to have a medical termination on 19 January 2023 at 2pm at 32 weeks, but she woke up with “terrible” stomach cramps at around 2.30am on the day of the procedure.

After rushing to the bathroom where she felt the urge to push, she suddenly realised she was in labour. She said: “My waters exploded and I had a light feel down there, and I felt a head.

“I had been having cramps all day but just thought it was IBS – 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.”

Grayson arrived at 3.45am, followed by his little brother Neo at 3.50am. An ambulance was called for Corrine and the two boys were rushed to hospital for medical treatment.

She added: “Neo was wrapped in a blanket and placed on my chest in the ambulance, I thought he would just drift off to sleep. But he was moving and squeaking and trying to open his eyes. I was a bit out of it and still in shock – it was very emotional.”

Doctors initially didn’t think Neo was going to pull through, but Corinne said he showed “signs of fight” and was quickly whisked off to the neonatal ward with his brother. Grayson underwent a blood transfusion and spent three weeks in hospital until he was big enough to go home, and against all odds, Neo began to make “amazing progress”.

Neo is now back at home and his dad, Will, has left his current job to become his full-time carer. Corinne said: “Neo has been working hard in the lung department and needs a breathing machine and high flow oxygen. But his liver flipped back to where it’s supposed to be.

“He’ll need corrective casts on his legs when he’s older still. Apart from his lung development, he’s a happy little boy. Grayson is doing well – he’s such a chunky boy. I still can’t believe they’re both here together.”