A baby who was due to be medically terminated to save his twin brother’s life made a surprise arrival in the toilet bowl.
Mum Corinne Rose, 30, suddenly went into labour and welcomed twin boys, Grayson and Neo Cattanach, while on the toilet at 32 weeks along. Corinne was delighted to fall pregnant with the non-identical twins in July 2022 after fearing she couldn't have kids.
But the amniotic sac for one of the twins, Neo, burst too soon, and doctors broke the news that he wouldn't make it.
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To give his twin, Grayson, a fighting chance, Corinne made the tough decision to undergo a medical termination for one of the boys.
But on January 19, the day before the procedure, Corrine found herself delivering both babies alone in the bathroom.
The pair went to the neonatal ward and Grayson, who weighed 4lbs 6oz, was discharged after three weeks. Neo, who weighed 2lbs 14oz, has defied all the odds despite doctors fears he ''wouldn't pull through''.
He finally joined his brother at home after being discharged on May 17, after spending nearly 13 weeks in hospital.
Corrine, a restaurant manager, from Southampton said: “I still can’t believe it. 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 feared she couldn’t have children due to past health issues and "made peace" with the thought of not having kids. But in 2022, she was delighted to discover she had naturally conceived twins with partner, Will Cattanach, 32, a music producer.
Non-identical twins, both babies were growing in separate amniotic sacs in the womb. When Corinne was 14 weeks along she was forced to call her midwife after feeling as if she had ''peed'' herself while out shopping.
Her worried midwife urged her to go to A&E at Princess Anne Hospital, where a scan revealed her waters had broken. This meant one of the babies' amniotic sacs had burst too soon and was losing fluid vital for healthy foetal development.
The baby, which medics identified was Neo, was also diagnosed with a catalogue of other health issues include bad lung function, bent limbs and his liver growing in his chest cavity.
Corinne said: “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."
Corinne was booked in for a medical termination but in the early hours on the day before the procedure, she woke up at 2.30am with “terrible” stomach cramps. She dashed to the bathroom where she felt the urge to push and realised, she was in labour.
She said: "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.
“Five minutes later, his brother came flying out. It was mad, I had a baby in each hand.”
Grayson arrived at 3.45am weighing 4lbs 6oz, followed by his little brother Neo at 3.50am who weighed 2lbs 14oz on January 19, 2023. An ambulance was called and the two boys were rushed for medical treatment.
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.
Despite the odds against him, Neo began to make ''amazing progress''. Now the baby is back at home and dad Will has left his current job and will become the baby's full-time carer.
She said: “Neo has been working hard in the lung department and need 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 developed, 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.”
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