Liv and Riley's Prem Twins

In late March, Riley and Liv Johnston had the unexpected arrival of their 2 beautiful girls into the world at 23 weeks + 6 days gestation. Twins are considered full term around 36 weeks. A routine scan picked up an acute twin-to-twin transfusion, which had come on quickly. They were rushed to Wellington hospital for tests, and from there flown to Auckland hospital for laser surgery, which would help the girls to stay in the womb for as long as possible.

Due to complications during the surgery, they had to perform an emergency c-section as the best chance for life for the babies. The precious girls, Nova and Izabella, were born extremely tiny and fragile, but were both in a stable condition for the first week. Riley and Liv spent a lot of precious time with them, and both sets of grandparents were blessed to meet them.

We are incredibly sad to say that baby Nova has passed away at 9 days old. She went peacefully in the comfort of her mother's arms and in the presence of her Daddy and sister. All our love is with this precious family as they go through this terrible loss. Friends and family all over the world are keeping Liv and Riley and baby Izabella, who is in a stable condition, in our thoughts and prayers.

It will be several months before they can go home and Riley won't be able to work at this time, so this is our chance to give them some support so they can focus on their family without worrying about living costs.