Twins to paraplegics world history

Press, 4 March 1982, Page 2

Twins to paraplegics world history

PA . Auckland A South Auckland paraplegic woman who on Tuesday gave birth to identical twins has made world medical history, a doctor said. Mrs Julie Jones, aged 26, and her husband Jeffrey, aged 28, are both paraplegic. The : doctor heading the medical team caring for Mrs Jones and the twin, boys, Dr John Hutton,- said there was no previous record of a paraplegic couple having twins. The twins, each weighing about 1600 g, were delivered by Caesarian section after Mrs Jones’s labour was induced eight hours earlier. “She ,‘didn’t progress, so we decided to do the operation at 1.20 a.m.,” Dr Hutton said. The babies, six weeks ; premature,''had minor breathing problems and were in incubators in Middlemore Hospital’s neonatal unit, he said.

They were “as .well as could be expected.”';- ’ Mrs Jones was "washed ' out and emotionally drained” ? , after the operation, but was 7 ' doing well, he said. , ‘t Mr Jones said yesterday that the twins were being fed expressed milk (the mother’s milk but not- directly from the breast) but one of the babies was not feeding too well. . ■ , ■’ - .’ He stayed with his. wife, through her labour and the operation. “It was pretty bad,” he said. Mrs Jones, whom her husband said would probably be out of bed on Friday, was shown her babies in the -neonatal unit but has yet to hold them. Mr Jones expected the twins would remain in incubators for at least four weeks.