Doctors Say Saving Baby Twins Is a 'Waste of Time,' Mom Starts Praying to Prove Them Wrong

It has long been disputed if praying changes anything. For the most part, people live without depending on it; however, now and then, we witness miracles that hint at a greater power listening to those prayers — here's an example of one.

"The twins will be born today, and they will die," a doctor told Kayla Marie Ibarra as she was wheeled to a delivery room. The woman could not believe her ears. "Excuse me?" she said, then the doctor added:

"Babies this gestation simply do not survive. It's impossible."

A trained physician told Kayla that when the Canadian mom went into labor with twins at almost 22 weeks. However, those words or the experience that prompted them were not enough to make Kayla give up.

But, somehow, in an almost magical turnaround, the twins survived even though they had to stay back in the NICU for 115 days. To understand what transpired, let's start at the very beginning.

A PERFECT HOME

Kayla and her husband had been married since they were both 18 and were very enthusiastic about starting their family. On October 19, 2016, they welcomed their first child Noah. He was a healthy baby, and almost two years later, the couple decided it was time to have their second child.

Conception happened quickly, and soon the two found out it was twins — her husband and mother-in-law had suspected because of how quick the symptoms turned up, so Kayla was the most shocked.

THE TURNING POINT

Everything ran on smoothly until September 23, 2018, when she caught a cold and started feeling terrible — the gestation was 21 weeks and five days at that point.

She told her midwife about it over the phone and was urged to get a checkup which she agreed to even though she thought it was silly.

Kayla spent long hours waiting at the hospital, and when they finally attended to her, they said her urine was clean. No sooner had the nurse uttered the words than Kayla felt the first contraction that told her she was in labor.

She said as much as they ran an ultrasound test on her. The nurse did not believe and kept reassuring her, but then her water broke, so they got the doctor.

THE FRIGID PROFESSIONAL

The doctor that arrived told Kayla that she would deliver her twins that day, but they would never make it because it was too early. The woman also told Kayla that she would not let her see the twins or hear their heartbeats because she believed it would waste time.

The callous doctor repeated the same thing to her family, and they had immediately started considering their next option. As they brainstormed, Kayla's sister-in-law asked her to pray, but she refused — she was mad at her God.

The doctor was ready to have her deliver her kids then and was not planning to medicate her for the process. So Kayla decided to close her eyes and tell God how mad she was about everything — imagine her astonishment when the contractions stopped after her prayer.

It bought her time, and Kayla asked the doctor to leave her be. The next day, a high-risk OB visited her to remind them that she could die because no hospitals would accept a gestation less than 23 weeks.

Kayla was adamant, determined to wait for as long as possible while they looked for a place where she could deliver safely.

THE MIRACLE

Kayla spent four days writhing in labor pain and begging for medication, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Then, to make matters worse, she was also diagnosed with pneumonia which meant she could die.

Hope arrived in a new doctor who made some calls and found two London hospitals willing to deliver the babies. Kayla's kids, Luna and Ema, arrived at 9.12 and 9.29 p.m., respectively.

Ema was the biggest, weighing in at 1 lb (0.45 kg) and was 12 inches long, while her sister Luna weighed a little over 14 ounces (approx. 0.39 kg) and measured 11 inches long.

Today, the twins are thriving. Luna and Ema, who now goes by Rosie, can keep up with their peers and are not developmentally delayed.

Their mother, Kayla, has also been busy; the woman now advocates for premature babies everywhere with a nonprofit she founded called TwentyTwoMatters. The organization provides medical articles and a world map of hospitals anyone can turn to at 22 weeks.