'It was so frightening not knowing if they would make it'

Giving birth to healthy twin babies following a high-risk diagnosis was a dream come true for Sarah Lang. Here, she shares her story of hope

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Mum-of-one Sarah Lang couldn't believe she was expecting twins but halfway through her pregnancy, a routine scan revealed her babies were in danger. They would need life-saving surgery - while still in the womb.

Sarah was diagnosed with the high-risk pregnancy complication Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). In an attempt to save the lives of her unborn twins, she underwent cutting-edge laser womb surgery. Thankfully, it was a success and identical twins Arlo and Albie were born safely.

Sarah, 38, who works for an insurance broker company, was understandably anxious about the surgery - after all, laser surgery is a relatively new procedure.

"It's a very emotional time," she said. "Some pregnancies with this condition don't have a good outcome and I was very anxious during and after the surgery in case anything went wrong. But my twins are doing amazingly now and I'm enjoying them every single day."

Sarah, from Fleet, in Hampshire, is single after splitting with the twins' dad just weeks after they were born. She also has a 14-year-old son, Alfie, and was shocked when she discovered she was pregnant with identical twins rather than just one baby. "I had no idea I was pregnant with twins," she said. "I'd suffered a miscarriage just a month before, and I fell pregnant again quickly. When I went for my first scan, I couldn't believe it when the sonographer told me she could see two heartbeats."

Sarah's pregnancy ran smoothly until she was 21 weeks in, when a further scan revealed the twins were suffering from TTTS. It's a condition that can affect identical twins in the womb who share a placenta and a network of blood vessels. It occurs when the blood flow between the twins becomes unbalanced, with one twin receiving less blood and nutrients than the other one. This imbalance can lead to severe complications for one or both babies, including premature birth, heart failure or death.