Canadian brother and sister hold record for world’s most premature twins

Canadian premature twins Adia Leylin and Adriaal Luca Nadarajah were given a zero chance of survival on their first birthday as they were recognized by Guinness World Records.

A girl and a boy were born on March 4, 2022 in Ontario at 22 weeks gestation. Born 126 days early, they beat the previous record for the earliest birth of a pair of twins, which was 125 days. Additionally, they were the lightest twins at birth, with Adia weighing 330 grams and Adrial weighing 420 grams.

“When I went into labour, the babies were denied all life support at the hospital where I was admitted and almost left to die,” said their mother, Shakina Rajendram. Guinness World Records (GWR).

The next day, Rajendram was taken to Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was transferred to a specialized neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, GWR said the hospital warned her the twins had a low chance of survival if they were born before 22 weeks. She was 21 weeks and six days pregnant at the time.

The next day, just 15 minutes after midnight, Rajendram’s water broke and soon the twins arrived at exactly 22 weeks. Although their birth was a success, the twins weren’t completely out of danger. They spent nearly six months in the hospital where they experienced many complications, including bleeding on the brain, infections that led to sepsis, and they both had extremely fragile and thin skin.

Finally, after 161 days in the NICU, Adia was allowed to leave the hospital, followed by her brother a week later. Adrial has since been readmitted to hospital twice for infections and breathing problems, but Rajendram told GWR she is now doing better and has outgrown her sister.

Slowly, the children are making great progress, and while they still undergo frequent check-ups by several doctors, Rajendram says their personalities are shining through.

“She (Adia) is an extremely happy and social child and smiles all day,” Rajendram told GWR. “He is very talkative and spends hours ‘talking’ with us and his toys.” Adrial, who is more on the reserved side, is extremely observant and intelligent, Rajendram said.