Emily Bridges was shocked when she went into labor at just 27 weeks, delivering premature twins in about as much time as it takes to listen to a song.
In less than five minutes, with the help of her husband Max, she was forced to help deliver their twin boys Zachary and Dexter on the bathroom floor.
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Mom Emily Bridges delivers premature twins on bathroom floor in under 5 minutes.
The North Yorkshire parents could tell right away that something was wrong with baby Zachary, who was not breathing, and Max began performing CPR on his son. The twins were soon rushed away by paramedics to nearby Airedale General Hospital.
According to the Sun, Emily described baby Zachary as small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.
“The illusion that everything would now be ok was soon shattered…”
“The illusion that everything would now be ok was soon shattered upon arrival as we were informed that unfortunately the boys required Neonatal Intensive Care due to them being so premature, which is something Airedale are only able to provide for a limited time,” the couple shared on their Just Giving fundraising page. “Things looked like they would get worse as there was talk of moving the boys to separate hospitals in order to receive this care due to limited neonatal intensive care beds across the country.”
It quickly became clear that the preemies were going to have a tough road ahead.
“It was a tragic moment seeing our boys so briefly before they were taken from us albeit to receive the care they needed,” the couple wrote on their campaign page. “When Max and I were finally allowed to see the boys, we felt bewildered and heartbroken. They were hooked up to so many machines and receiving blood transfusions.”
“These were the words we were dreading.”
The couple’s greatest fears were realized when doctors revealed that Zachary had suffered a catastrophic bi-lateral brain hemorrhage and would not survive.
“These were the words we were dreading, but we knew the time we had to spend with him was ticking away fast. We spent Zachary’s last hours bathing, changing and dressing him. After just three days and 17 hours of life, he passed away peacefully in our arms. It felt our world had fallen apart, all our hopes and dreams had crashed down around us.”
A year later, the family is healing from their loss and celebrating a happy and healthy baby Dexter reaching all of his milestones. They are also raising awareness and funds surrounding premature births in honor of baby Zachary’s memory.
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