Certified record breakers: If Adrial and Adiah were born even an hour earlier they may not have survived, but look at them now.
PETALING JAYA: When Malaysian Shakina Rajendram was told that her pregnancy was a loss and nothing more could be done to save the twins she was carrying, she and her Canadian husband refused to give up.
For months after, they went through a deeply traumatic and stressful time, but a year later, her little girl and boy are not only thriving but are also holders of two Guinness World Records.
They are officially the world’s most premature and lightest twins to ever be born.
The couple celebrated the first birthday of Adiah Laelynn and Adrial Luka Nadarajah, who were born on March 4, 2022 – 126 days or over four months early.
Adiah, born 23 minutes before her brother, was 330g and Adrial was 420g, making them the lightest twins to ever be born at a combined weight of 750g.
The twins broke the previous world record of 125 days set by Keeley and Kambry Ewoldt, who were born on Nov 24, 2018, in the United States.
“We actually had no idea that our babies were going to be born so prematurely. I had gone for my 20-week ultrasound two weeks before, and everything was fine. The babies were growing well, and there were no complications or concerns about the pregnancy,” said the Seremban-born Shakina, 35, who moved to Canada in 2014.
Shakina and her mother, G. Mallika Vasugi, were both contributors to The Star's Newspaper-in-Education (StarNiE) pullout, an English language literacy programme for schools.
Shakina recalled that it came as a complete shock to them when she went into labour at 21 weeks and five days into the pregnancy.
"We were afraid that we would lose the babies, as the doctors told us that they would not survive if they were born that early," she shared in a phone interview from her home in Toronto.
She said the twins entered the world at a gestational age of exactly 22 weeks, and if they’d been born even an hour earlier, no attempt would have been made by the doctors to save their lives.
“When I went into labour, the babies were denied all life-sustaining measures at the hospital I was initially admitted to. They were almost left to die,” she revealed.
This was her second pregnancy; Shakina lost her first pregnancy just a few months earlier at the same hospital.
Shakina, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, and her husband, Kevin Nadarajah, 37, were in shock, and the only consolation the doctors could offer them was “comfort care”.
“This means that the babies would be placed on me while they slowly passed away. No words can capture the mental anguish and emotional trauma we were going through,” she said.
Kevin recalled being awake at night, “face streaming with tears, and praying for a sign of hope”.
As staunch Christians, their faith helped them get through the ordeal, they said.
“Even if there were limitations to what the doctors could do, we were praying for a miracle.
“The love, support and prayers of our friends and family from around the world helped us get through the most difficult and darkest moments. We had to fight very hard for the lives of our babies, but we were never alone in our fight as we were always surrounded by family and friends who helped us stay strong,” said Kevin, who works in finance and is a musician by night with his own YouTube channel.
Subsequently, Shakina was transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, which specialises in resuscitating 22-week-old babies when most hospitals do not attempt to save babies born before 24 weeks.
Still, the couple were informed that if the babies were born even a few minutes before 22 weeks, they wouldn’t be resuscitated. They were also dissuaded from resuscitating the babies even if they did make it to 22 weeks.
“We were told it would be a ‘death sentence’ for them and they would have many disabilities, but we insisted that our babies be given a chance to live,” said Shakina.
The babies were in hospital care for nearly six months, and there were complications including brain bleeding, sepsis and fluid management. They also had very thin and transparent skin.
The couple were advised many times to consider withdrawing medical care, but that only strengthened their resolve to save their babies.
While the doctors focused on the risks, Shakina and Kevin focused instead on their babies’ progress.
Adiah was discharged after 161 days and Adrial after 168 days in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Both the twins are currently doing well, “not just surviving but thriving”, said their proud parents.
Grandma Mallika, who is currently a dean at Unitar International University in Selangor and a columnist for The Star's Education pullout, was unable to travel to Toronto for the births of her grandchildren.
She remembered seeing the first photos of the newborns as being "deeply heartbreaking".
"They were only the size of a palm, with all the tubes and needles running through them.
"But like their parents, the babies are fighters and are still continuing to fight. What amazes me is their parents' strength, courage and resilience, as well as their faith and refusal to give up."
Mallika was finally able to make the long journey to Canada in December last year.
The first thought that ran through her mind as she looked at her grandchildren were "how strong and beautiful they are and how much they want to live".
"They inspire me so much," she said.
