Milo and Leo

Milo and his twin brother Leo were born at just 27 weeks. Due to severe heart complications, Milo went on to spend 301 days in hospital, miles from his home and family in Gloucester.

The twins’ mum, Laura, told us their story, and the difference our home-from-home family accommodation made during a turbulent time, including Christmas.  

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“At 22 weeks, I could feel that something wasn’t right. The doctors told me it was most likely an infection, but I was sent in for a scan, just in case.  

I had my scan on a Monday, and it was discovered that Milo had less fluid in his amniotic sac. I still had this feeling that something wasn’t right, so I spoke to my midwife and told her that I was concerned that Milo’s sac might be leaking. The consensus was to come back the next day, but I decided to wait a little longer. 

On Wednesday, I headed to the doctors to get an ear infection checked. On the way I was forced to pull over due to a terrible pain in my stomach. I thought to myself there’s no way this is a contraction.  

I managed to get to the doctors, who confirmed that my waters had broke. The staff immediately jumped to action, knowing that Gloucester Hospital was not equipped to deliver twins at just 27 weeks. I was laying on the bed, listening to the chaos, in total disbelief that the twins were on their way. Unfortunately, Bristol didn’t have space for us at the time, so I was blue-lighted to Oxford.  

The twins were born on October 16 in Oxford. Milo was born with transposition of the great arteries (TGA), ventricular septal defect (VSD) and atrial septal defect (ASD).  Once he was scanned, they found a narrowing of the pulmonary arteries, which was the reason his heart was so small. Milo weighed just 1.2kg, but nothing could be done to help him until he’d grown to 3kg. He hit this target around New Year’s Day. 

Leo was in slightly better health, although two of the three valves at the top of his heart are stuck together. He never required pain medication or oxygen, so his time in hospital was much easier than Milo’s.  

The twins were finally reunited in Bristol at St Michael’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after 29 days.  It wasn’t until day 42 that I was able to hold them together for the first time. There are no words for that moment.  

I stayed in Cots for Tots House at the start of the twins’ time at St Michael’s and Bristol Children’s Hospital. But the beauty of this free place to stay wasn’t just how quick and easy it was to be at my babies’ bedsides at any hour of the day. It was the people I met; families going through similar hardships. They are all true friends for life.”  

Christmas in Hospital

“Christmas is a prime example. I have three more children besides the twins, but one thing was certain, I was not leaving the twins on their own for Christmas. So, I spent Christmas morning in Bristol with friends that felt like family. We enjoyed a Christmas lunch of spaghetti bolognese together in Cots for Tots House, cooked by one of the fellow parents. It wasn’t traditional, but that didn’t matter. It was nice, and nice times were hard to come by during the twins’ time in hospital.  

Then there was the hospital itself. On arrival, I was blown away by the sheer effort put in to making a medical setting feel magical. They had gone all out with huge stockings and decorations. This included phenomenal baubles which contained a piece of string that was the same length as your baby on Christmas Day 2025. That’s something I’ll keep forever, and it was a Christmas I will never forget. It’s these little moments, that you’d never think to do at home, that made all the difference. 

Both Leo and Milo are now back at home, and this will be the first Christmas with all of my children under one roof. I’m a bit of a grinch when it comes to the holidays, but as a mum, I know how important it is to create that magic for my kids, and because it’s our first Christmas altogether, I’m going to make sure it looks as special as it feels.” 

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This Christmas, your support can help bring a new level of care to Bristol Children’s Hospital by raising the vital funds.