Twins Ellis and Bayley Wharton faced a tough road when they were born 15 weeks early. Not only were they premature, but they were also monochorionic monoamniotic (MCMA) twins.

 

This meant they shared the same placenta and amniotic sac, a rare phenomenon which occurs in about one to two percent of all twin pregnancies.
 

Both boys were born with bleeds on their brains and Ellis had to remain in hospital as he has a condition called apnoea which causes him to stop breathing while asleep.

 

Ellis needs a ventilator to help him breathe at night so the tot had to stay in hospital after brother Bayley was discharged. But now, he has equipment his parents can use at home and can finally go home for the first time – just in time for the boys’ first birthday on April 17.

 

According to The Nottingham Post, the paediatric team from Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre assessed his needs and arranged for him to be given a nasal mask attached to a home ventilator.

 

 

Mum Jo Wharton, 36 is overjoyed at the thought of finally having both of her boys at home with her.

 

She expressed her gratitude to her son’s medical team saying: "We can't believe Ellis will be coming home for his and Bayley's birthday.

 

"The team at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust have worked incredibly hard for us to reach this goal and I don't think Ellis would be here if it wasn't for the intervention from the hospital's paediatric critical care and long term ventilation (LTV) teams.

 

"Because of Ellis' low drive to breathe he has to have constant support.

 

"Thanks to the LTV team they were able to assess his needs and put a strategy in place to ensure he receives the correct amount of oxygen, especially throughout the night when he is sleeping."

 

She said Ellis’ health has really improved in the few months. “He enjoys kicking and splashing about at bath times, is now able to go outside and enjoys looking at trees and really loves his food”, Jo said.

 


The family live in Lincolnshire, 40 miles away from the hospital so having little Ellis come home for a few days is a huge relief.

 

It’s hoped Ellis will be able to come home permanently soon and he will be able to receive care from the hospital at home with support from other departments including occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language therapy.

 

The family are throwing a party for the boys on Monday - we hope they will have a wonderful day.

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