The world's most premature twins turn two!

The twins, who share the Guinness World Records for the youngest and lightest premature babies born, recently celebrated their second birthday, and we caught up with the family to find out how they’re doing.

Things certainly are much different in the Nadarajah household these days. “The first year of their lives was spent constantly tending to their medical needs,” reflects Shakina. And today, as the twins’ mother puts it, the family is now in the phase of “full throttle toddler parenting.”

“In the first year, the twins didn’t have much recognition of each other, so it’s beautiful to see how close they are becoming,” says Shakina. “Adrial is very affectionate and is always trying to hug his sister. He has started saying a few words too.” Some of which include: banana, potato, purple, car and of course – mama and papa.

Adiah is “the bossy one,” calling all of the shots when it comes to play time. She loves reading books, and given that both of her parents play the piano, Adiah has been naturally drawn to it.

“She is mesmerized by the piano and enjoys watching us play on it, or playing it herself,” says Shakina. “That is how she spends quality time with her dad, Kevin.”

The younger twin, Adrial was on oxygen for a period of time following a re-hospitalization after their discharge from the NICU, but went off it shortly after the twins’ first birthday. And while checking oxygen tanks and figuring out wiring across the house were not what they envisioned for their first year of parenthood, these add to their unique story of parenthood and to the twins’ story of resilience.

The twins continue to attend standard follow up appointments at Mount Sinai Hospital’s neonatal follow-up clinic, which provides families with developmental assessments for their infant(s) who received care in the NICU, and also counselling for early intervention, depending on the needs of children. The detailed assessment of a baby’s growth, feeding and development includes movement patterns, speech, play skills and problem-solving abilities, and guides families in supporting activities to enhance their development to the full potential.

“Infants who spend an extended period of time in the NICU can face long-term challenges, which is why it is important to continuously monitor these children to identify any challenges they may face as early as possible,” says Dr. Prakesh Shah, Paediatrician-in-Chief at Sinai Health. “This allows us to proactively provide optimal support, planning and timely therapy referrals for families.”

The twins were referred to different specialists, including a speech therapist, physiotherapist and an occupational therapist, and continue to get support on an ongoing basis.

“This family is a living example of what hope can do,” says Dr. Shah. “The family continuously advocated for their babies and persevered and now the twins are two years old, defying many odds.”

Although so much has changed for the Nadarajah family over the past two years, Shakina shares that “not a single day goes by” that they don’t think about the Mount Sinai Hospital NICU.

“It holds such a special place in our hearts, and was where we spent the first half year of our babies’ lives. It was our everything – our whole world. And it was amazing to have the support we received from the hospital, especially in the first year.”