Twin girls born at 32 weeks after doctors find eight knots in umbilical cords

Two premature girls weighing 1.5kg and 1.437kg were born at 32 weeks after an emergency Caesarean section at Rainbow Hospital in HRBR, where doctors found their umbilical cords tangled in about eight knots.

Their 37-year-old mother was carrying monochorionic monoamniotic twins, meaning the babies shared both a placenta and a single amniotic sac. Such pregnancies carry a risk that the freely moving cords may become entangled and restrict blood flow.

The pregnancy was monitored with detailed scans every two weeks from the 16th week, including checks of fetal growth, amniotic fluid and Doppler blood-flow readings. Doctors said neither baby showed growth restriction and blood-flow parameters remained satisfactory.

At 32 weeks, the mother developed a premature rupture of membranes. The twins were delivered after she began experiencing water discharge, although doctors had not detected the cord entanglement on scans and found no fetal distress before delivery.

Both babies received respiratory and nutritional support in the neonatal intensive care unit, established full feeds and gained weight before discharge. Doctors said they are now meeting age-appropriate developmental milestones.