Premature Twins in Iowa are Beating the Odds in the NICU

A pair of the youngest surviving premature twins ever born are making progress at an Iowa hospital. 

Kambry and Keeley Ewoldt were born at the University of Iowa Hospital & Clinics at just 22 weeks in November.

"We know that the national survival is about 10 percent for babies born at 22 weeks," Dr. Jonathan Klein, a neonatologist at the hospital, told Inside Edition. 

"However, we've been working very hard with this population for the past over 10 years. With very dedicated NICU, dedicated nurses, respiratory therapists, nurse practitioners, we have survival now of babies born at 22 weeks that are admitted to the NICU of 65 percent, which is about 150 percent higher than the national average is."

While pregnant, Jade Ewoldt, the girls’ mother, was diagnosed with twin-twin transfusion syndrome, an abnormal formation of blood vessel connections between identical twins. The condition usually causes premature birth. 

Although she had surgery in utero try to correct the problem, she ended up giving birth four weeks later on Nov. 24. 

Keeley weighed 1 pound at birth while Kambry weighed just 13.4 ounces. 

"For our friends and family who still haven't met them, our nieces and nephews, we just explain them to be the size of a pop can," Ewoldt said. "It is by the grace of God that they're here. They had all the odds stacked against them. They still do. They have a long road to go. They're strong fighters."

The earliest the girls will be able to go home is on their original due date, March 24.

"We need all the prayers we can get. That's it. Having this platform is, if we can get everybody praying for them, as many as we can, I can't imagine the things they'll do," Ewoldt added.

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