Rare set of twins born in Texas after stressful pregnancy: 'It's a blessing'
Twin girls Raya and Naya are now safely home with their family
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When mom Rima Aldebbeh found out she was going to have twins, she at first thought it was a joke.
"I just got shocked because we don’t have this in the family," Aldebbeh, a mom of five from Euless, Texas, told Fox News.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Even more shocking was the rarity of her pregnancy. During that same ultrasound appointment, the sonographer noticed that the babies appeared to be in the same amniotic sac.
Rima Aldebbeh recently gave birth to monoamniotic twins, which are extremely rare. (Courtesy of Baylor Scott & White Health)
Later tests confirmed that the babies were monoamniotic twins, which means they shared an amniotic sac and a placenta. According to Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, monoamniotic twins make up less than 0.1% of all pregnancies.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aldebbeh told Fox that after finding out about her rare twins, she was even more overwhelmed, with all the scenarios running through her mind like a "roller coaster."
"Too many things went in my head – especially the bad scenarios like, 'What's going to happen' and ‘What if something bad happens,?’" Aldebbeh said.
Rima Aldebbeh told Fox News that when she found out she was pregnant with twins, she was overwhelmed because she already has three other children. Aldebbeh and her family are pictured at a baby shower at the hospital, before the twins were born. (Courtesy of Baylor Scott & White Health)
From there on, Aldebbeh had to see doctors for weekly checks on the babies. During that time, she continued to worry, but her husband, Rami Ramadan, comforted her.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Sometimes I [kept] crying and my husband is like, 'It's OK. You have to just like pray and everything will be fine,'" Aldebbeh told Fox. "It was hard, really, really hard."
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Once the twin girls needed to be monitored three times a day, Aldebbeh was admitted to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Grapevine, where she stayed for three months until giving birth.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ramadan told Fox that having his wife in the hospital for so long started out as a comfort because of her high risk pregnancy, but it was also a challenging time for the whole family.
Because monoamniotic twins are high-risk, Aldebbeh had to stay at the hospital for three months so the babies could be monitored daily. (Courtesy of Baylor Scott & White Health)
"COVID restrictions and the hospital's visitation rules during COVID made it hard for the kids, for the mom, for me," he said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Raya and Naya are now home and are doing well, their parents told Fox News. (Courtesy of Rima Aldebbeh)
Finally, doctors decided it was time for the girls -- Raya and Naya -- to be born, NBC 5 reported. It was seven weeks before their due date.
Ramadan said Raya had some trouble breathing when she was first born, but quickly recovered.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a statement provided to Fox News, Dr. Julia Flowers, OB/GYN and Chairman of the Department of Ethics at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Grapevine, said the twins’ positive story is why she loves her job.
"When our patients are faced with challenging and high risk pregnancies, our team demonstrates love and compassion while applying training and best practice to provide the best outcome possible," Flowers said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The newborns had to stay at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for another two weeks, but they’ve finally arrived home.
"We can’t be happier," Ramadan said. "We made it through the hard time. Now the girls are finally here, they’re healthy, they’re out of the NICU, the family’s united. It’s a blessing."
Aldebbeh added: "I'm happy to see my girls next to me every single day."