Holli Gorveatt's identical twin boys were born apart when one of the babies was born four months earlier than the expected due date.
One of the babies had to be delivered prematurely due to a condition called the Twin Twin transfusion syndrome. The condition occurs when there is an imbalance of blood flow between twins sharing a placenta.
"About 20% of (identical twins) get into a situation where one baby gives the other baby more blood than he gets back," Dr. Martin Walker, the specialist in charge of the delivery, said. "One baby becomes anemic and weak from blood loss and the other baby becomes over stuffed with blood, bloated and goes into heart failure."
Walker was able to separate the twins' blood vessels to restore normal blood flow to them but one week later, Holli went into labor, and one of the babies was still too weak to survive outside the womb.
In order to increase the child's chance for survival, doctors performed what was called a delayed interval delivery, facilitating the birth of the stronger twin while keeping the younger with the mother until he was ready to be delivered in January, the expected due date.
Delayed interval births are extremely rare. So far, only 10 incidents of such have been recorded; and the Gorveatt boys hold the longest interval between twin births reported.
Baby Link was born last Sept. 29 weighing one pound while his younger twin, Logan, remains in Holli's womb. It was thought that Link would die due to the circumstances of his birth, but he managed to survive. The Gorveatts are currently running a Gofundme page, seeking financial help to continue to support Link in his fight for survival.
"He's fighting for his life, waiting for the day he gets to meet his brother on the outside," the father, Nick Gorveatt, said.
Doctors said that Logan and Link may not closely resemble each other initially, like one would expect from identical twins. Walker said that this was because of the circumstances behind the twins' births, with one being delivered prematurely. Nonetheless, he assured that the twins' genetics will correct the difference by the time they reach their toddler years.
"I think by the time they're young men, they'll be identical twins the way everyone else sees twins," Walker said.
