Waterlooville twins who survived against the odds celebrate turning 2 as parents raise funds and awareness

Glen Carter from Waterlooville is running 10km every day for 30 days to fundraise for The Ickle Pickles Children's Charity - after experiencing the amazing work of the charity.

With their twins Ronny and Bella turning two years old, Glen and his partner Jasmine Baker are hoping to inspire others experiencing birth complications to stay strong.

Glen, 29, said: ‘We spent the best part of three months in the neonatal unit at Queen Alexandra Hospital and witnessed the amazing care and support provided.

‘We became familiar with the Ickle Pickles Charity and the much needed support that the charity provides to neonatal units.’

Jasmine, 27, sadly miscarried during her first pregnancy but became pregnant for a second time in 2018.

At 10 weeks pregnant, Jasmine experienced a lot of bleeding and was concerned it may be another miscarriage.

However a private scan revealed everything was fine, with Glen and Jasmine delighted to find they were expecting twins.

Just five days later, the pair were given the crushing news that their son wasn’t growing and could die within two weeks.

Jasmine said: ‘I rang up the twin specialist at Queen Alexandra Hospital and they said nobody can tell you 100 per cent that he’s going to die because nobody knows.’

Two weeks on, the baby had regained his fluid and continued to grow.

At 18 weeks pregnant, Jasmine and Glen were shopping in Morrisons when Jasmine’s waters broke and they rushed to the Cosham hospital.

A scan early the next morning revealed the twins were not yet on their way, so the couple were once again sent home to rest and recover.

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‘I went to work in January 2019 and my waters broke at work while I was serving a customer,’ said Jasmine.

After 24 hours being monitored in Queen Alexandra Hospital, Jasmine had contractions for 10 days before Ronny and Bella were born 13 weeks premature on January 21, 2019.

The complications continued during and after birth, with Bella in the breech position and Ronny leaving behind his placenta.

Ronny experienced a grade four bleed on the brain, and then took a turn for the worse when his hernias started strangulating which required surgery.

However, the journey was not over as Ronny was crying a lot when he got home and after returning to hospital he had a cardiac arrest.

Five days later, Ronny had pneumonia and his lungs collapsed.

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After recovering from this final bout of illness, Ronny began to improve and the family are now excited to celebrate the twins’ second birthday.

The healthy toddlers are both walking, Bella is talking and Ronny is doing well despite his traumatic start to life.

Glen said: ‘Whilst it was a very difficult period of our lives, Jasmine and I would not change a thing. It sounds a little odd but we have met some remarkable people and had our eyes well and truly opened.

‘We are grateful every day that our twins came through the experience healthy and very happy babies.’

Glen and Jasmine are sharing their difficult journey to encourage people to give to charities such as Ickle Pickles and support the work by neonatal units across the country.

Glen added: ‘Complications during pregnancy and in the early years of babies' lives is more common than people may be aware.

‘Whilst we wish to raise awareness of the side of pregnancy and having children that we encountered, we certainly do not want to put people off of the idea as it is an incredible experience.’

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In December 2019, Glen and Jasmine raised money from close family to provide gift bags for the neonatal babies and parents that were in the unit over the festive period.

Jasmine said: ‘For us it’s really important that we’re giving back to charities. We’re constantly in and out of the hospital so as much as we can give back we try to.

‘I think a lot of people don’t know about this side of things. It’s not to scare anyone but it’s for the people who are going through it.

‘It would be nice for people to know my son survived against the odds so there’s always that chance.’

Money from Glen’s fundraising 10km runs will be directed by Ickle Pickles to support the unit at Queen Alexandra Hospital, and £600 has already been collected towards the total.

Glen said: ‘The runs were difficult to start with and my knees are feeling tender but I am starting to get used to it. I am hoping for dry weather and to stay injury free!’

Visit gofund.me/2ce5639b to donate to the fundraiser.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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