Woman Gives Birth to Premature Babies Just Months Apart But They're Not Twins
When a pregnant mom goes into pre-term labor, things can get scary fast. Babies born before 24 weeks gestation have an extremely low chance of survival. And even babies born a couple months later often deal with long-term health issues as a result of premature birth.
A couple from Norwich, England, Karen Patterson and Lee Green, experienced not one but two scary preemie births just months apart. And no, their babies aren't twins. Let's take a closer look at the details of their journey and how their boys are doing today.
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Their first son arrived prematurely in 2022.
Karen Patterson, 36, and partner Lee Green, 37, welcomed their first child in 2022. Their son, Hunter Green, arrived when Patterson was just 27 weeks and two days pregnant on March 7, 2022. Because he was born so premature — only weighing 2 pounds at birth — Hunter spent three months in the NICU.
Hunter overcame countless medical complications.
During his NICU stay, Hunter battled sepsis, meningitis and chronic lung disease. “It was the hardest time of my life,” Patterson told SWNS, per The Mirror. “He had lumbar punctures, six blood transfusions and needed an oxygen mask for six weeks.”
The parents were able to hold their baby boy for the first time when he was 18 days old. On May 8, 2022, he was finally able to come home.
Soon, Patterson got another surprise.
Five months after Hunter left the hospital, Patterson discovered she was expecting their second child. “We couldn’t believe I was pregnant so soon after Hunter as we hadn’t been trying, but we were really excited,” she told SWNS. Everything seemed to be going well with the pregnancy — until it wasn’t.
She delivered her second son, Jesse, three months early, in January 2023.
After Patterson began experiencing “sharp” abdominal pains, she went to a hospital, where she learned she was in labor. Baby Jesse was born on January 21, 2023, weighing in at 3 pounds. After doctors discovered a lower bowel blockage, Jesse spent 123 days in the NICU before he was able to come home.
Today, the brothers are thriving — and Patterson is giving back.
Today, the boys are now toddlers, and they are “fit, happy, and healthy.”
“Their strength and determination amazes me. Born so so small and so fragile they have grown in to perfect little boys,” Patterson wrote in the description of her fundraiser benefiting Norwich and Norfolk Hospital’s NICU.
“All my thanks goes to NICU at the NNUH, not only did they look after my boys they looked after me through the highs and the lows the ups and the downs,” she added. “I couldn’t be more honoured to be fundraising for them.”
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