A mum who gave birth to twins 16 weeks early lost her son at 21 days old - while his tiny sister survived after a 101 day fight for her life in hospital.

Breanna Seibel, 30, and her husband, Chase, 32, an electrician, were "excited" when they found out they were expecting two babies at their five-week scan in December 2021. "

But just 20 weeks into the pregnancy, Breanna started experiencing back pain and felt like she was going into labour - four months early.

Doctors checked her over and sent her home but a few weeks later, on April 19, 2022, Breanna started experiencing contractions.

She was rushed to hospital and seen by specialists - who determined she was in labour and already 1cm dilated and 100 effaced.

Medics managed to stabilise Breanna and she was admitted to hospital on bed rest.

She managed to make it to 24 weeks when she started bleeding heavily on April 23, 2022, and doctors told her they had to deliver the twins right away.

Just 30 minutes later Teddy and Vivi were born at 4.30pm and 4.31pm - weighing 1lbs 8oz and 1lbs 7oz respectively.

The babies were immediately placed in incubators and whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) - where it was "touch and go"."

Sadly, after 21 days in the NICU, Teddy passed away due to a brainstem herniation - the shifting of the brain tissue from one space in the skull to another - on May 14, 2022.

Vivi continued to fight for her life and after 101 days in hospital, she was able to be discharged, in August 2022 - with Breanna describing the moment as "bittersweet". "

Breanna, a nurse, from Saint Paul, Minnesota, US, said: "When Teddy died I went into survival mode - it is nothing than trying to make it out alive."

"That night, Vivi's lungs were the clearest I had ever seen them be."

"When we left hospital in August, it was really hard - we were still scared about Vivi's health. "

"If she got sick we knew she could be immediately admitted."

"It was a bittersweet moment - we had the nursery set up with two cribs and two sets of everything."

Breanna had been experiencing back pain for a few weeks before she found out she was in early labour.



She said: "By the time I went in I was a few centimetres dilated so it was likely that I had been in labour the whole time."

"My contractions at that point were very strong and really close together."

"I stood up and there was blood everywhere but my waters didn't break."

"They said they wanted to deliver my babies there and then but it was a small hospital and they did not have the facilities I needed."

Breanna got blue-lighted to a larger hospital - which the facilities to deliver and care for premature babies - in Minnesota and Chase followed behind in his car.

She said: "It was all a bit of a whirlwind."

"I had a lot of ultrasounds by a specialist and I was monitored a lot."

"They gave me a magnesium drip and were monitoring my contractions."

Breanna stayed in hospital under supervision as her contractions slowed and she was moved into a private room.

On April 23, 2022, the couple celebrated making it to 24 weeks by taking pictures to mark the occasion.

She said: "About two afters after the celebration, I went into the bathroom and the bleeding was worse than ever."

"I called my nurse and she came in immediately."

"My son, Teddy, was head down in the birthing canal and my daughter, Vivi, was in my ribs not wanting to move."

"They told me that based on the position of Teddy he could be born naturally but the survivability of Vivi would go down."

"I told them to do what they need to do and save them over me if it comes to it."

Just 30 minutes later, Teddy and Vivi were born via c-section on April 23, at 4.30pm and 4.31pm - weighing 1lbs 8oz and 1lbs 7oz.

Breanna said: "They each had their own NICU team waiting for them."

"I did not see them until hours and hours later - I told Chase that the one thing he needed to do is stay with them."

"The first seven days were touch and go."

Teddy was being kept alive on a ventilator and was brain-dead, with no improvement with his condition the family decided to turn the ventilator off.

Teddy died on May 14, 2022, whilst Breanna was holding him just 21 days after he was born.

Breanna said: "You go straight into survival mode."

"Vivi was still incubated at the time, she was a lot sicker than Teddy was when he died."

"She had a grade two bilateral intraocular haemorrhage - bleeding inside the eye - a blood stem infection, a double lung pneumonia and a hole in her heart had opened up."

Vivi was then transported to another hospital for an operation to put a piccolo device -

a device that is placed in the heart during a minimally invasive, catheter-based procedure - in her heart to close her patent ductus arteriosus.

The tiny tot continued to improve after the operation and left hospital after 101 days on August 2022.

Breanna said it was a "bittersweet moment"."

She said: "It was a relief to be home but we were so terrified and heartbroken."

"At the same time, we were so grateful as a lot of parents in our shoes don't get to bring a baby home."

"There were a lot of mixed emotions."

In April 2022, Vivi was baptised and a celebration of life was held for Teddy.

Breanna said: "At the time of his death, Vivi was so sick we couldn't risk leaving her and being around other people."

"We didn't want to bring something back to her."

"The day was so special, a lot of our family had never really met Vivi before that due to how ill she was."

Brianna said that Vivi is thriving and has reached all her developmental milestones so far.

She said: "She is going to be two in a few months."

"She is running, she is wild and she does swimming lessons."

"She is extremely bossy, she is demanding and very energetic."

"She is very adaptable, we will take her on hikes in the mountains and she will just fall asleep."

Breanna said that Vivi will always be reminded of her brother Teddy and they have placed a teddy bear with his ashes in above the fireplace.

She said: "Every year, the date of Teddy's death we buy a tree for him and plant it in our yard."

"The first year my parents planted a maple tree in his honour and last year we planted a weeping crab apple tree and going forward Vivi will pick it."

"The question I get asked a lot of is Vivi will know about him and she is 100% know about him."

"One of the main things we have done to keep his memory alive, other than talking about him is we share his story and educate people on NICU life."