THERE were tears of joy and relief yesterday, as ‘miracle’ twins Ruby Ann and Megan Hope Livingstone celebrated their first birthday.

The identical twin girls, from Bulan Road, Oxford, tucked into ice cream and blew out their candles, just over a year after doctors gave them just a 25 per cent rate of survival.

The twins had started out as monochorionic diamniotic, which meant they were identical and were in different sacs, but shared their mother Sarah’s placenta.

But a later scan revealed their sacs had inexplicably fused together.

Then, at 24 weeks, the delicate membrane between them broke, making them monochorionic monoamniotic (momo) twins, which occurs only once in every 35,000 pregnancies.

Their mum Sarah Livingstone, 28, said: “The doctors were extremely concerned and things looked really bleak.

“The twins were now in the same sac and because their umbilical chords had become tangled, this was affecting the blood flow reaching them.”

Mrs Livingstone and her husband Danny, 27, were even given the option to abort the smaller twin to increase the larger baby’s chances.

Mrs Livingstone said: “Thankfully, we decided to let fate take its course – although we were terrified that we would lose one or even both of the girls.”

The pregnancy continued to be fraught with danger, with the twins seeming to alternate between doing well and then suffering serious setbacks.

Mother and babies were referred to the Silver Star Unit at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, which specialises in the care of complicated pregnancies.

Mrs Livingstone said: “It was so emotional throughout. At 29 weeks I had labour pains and spent a week in hospital, taking steroids staving off labour.

“I was booked in for a caesarean at 34 weeks, but we were terrified the smaller twin would not survive until then.”

A week before the planned caesarean, Mrs Livingstone went into labour and the girls were born by emergency caesarean, with Mr Livingstone getting there with minutes to spare.

Ruby Ann weighed just 4lbs 5ozs and Megan Hope, just 4lbs 13ozs.

Both were rushed to the JR’s special care baby unit (SCBU) and Mrs Livingstone didn’t see her babies for another 18 hours.

But a year on, she said her daughters have come on “in leaps and bounds”.

She said: “Even after all they went through and being born prematurely, they are doing so well.”

The twins will be celebrating their first birthday with their siblings, Josh, seven, Ella, four, and Tyler, two, at a big family party.

Mrs Livingstone said: “Although the preparations have been exciting, there have been times, like when I was making their cake, that I have been overcome with emotion because of what they went through and the joy I feel that they are here, safe and well, a year on.

“We have all had some tears today. It’s been quite an emotional roller coaster.

“It’s been an amazing day.

“We are, and will always be, so grateful for the care we received from the Silver Star Unit.”