One of the tiniest Mater Mothers babies of 2023 will be reunited with his twin brother on Christmas Day in the hospital’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit.

Twins Kai and Maverick Durham were born four months’ premature on 27 August, with Kai weighing 664 grams and Maverick just 390 grams.

Both faced a struggle to survive but earlier this week Kai finally grew strong enough to go home to Grafton, in Northern NSW, for the first time.

Kai will come back to Brisbane on December 25 to share his first Christmas with his still unwell little brother.

The boys’ reunion will be a “bittersweet moment” for parents Laura Cryer, 26, and Troy Durham, 33.

“Our Christmas wish was to spend the festive time as a family, but bringing them both home is unrealistic,” Ms Cryer said.

“Instead, we will spend the time together in hospital.”

While both brothers were diagnosed with chronic neonatal lung disease, commonly associated with premature babies, Ms Cryer said Maverick still had “a long way to go”.

“He’s had grade one and two brain bleeds and a heart issue. He’s strong though and he will get there.

“I can’t believe they have made it past birth, the odds were stacked against us.

“I mean, Maverick was 27cm when he was born. He fit in the palm of my hand. You could get more meat at the deli for lunch than when what he weighed.”

Ms Cryer and her partner have three older children and described the twins’ early arrival at 24 weeks and three days gestation as an “absolute shock”.

“I went to Grafton Hospital in labour and found out I was already 6cm dilated,” Ms Cryer said.

It was only when she was in labour that doctors diagnosed the twins with stage three Twin to Twin Syndrome, a condition that can affect identical twins when they share one placenta.

To give her babies a fighting chance at life, Ms Cryer was immediately flown to Mater Mothers’ Hospital.

“I was petrified of losing them,” Ms Cryer said, who shares her birthday her special twins.

“Having them with me was a celebration in itself, but we have been on a big rollercoaster of emotions,” Ms Cryer said.

“Kai had to be resuscitated soon after he was born. Thankfully Maverick came out breathing but he was so small.

“I thought it would be impossible to keep them alive – but look where we are now.

“It’s a miracle the boys are here with us. It was 12 days before I could hold Kai and 18 days before I held Maverick.

“I remember the moment I got to hold them both at the same time, 55 days after they were born – I cried a lot.”

Every year nearly 2,000 very sick and premature babies receive round-the-clock specialist care from the multidisciplinary clinical team in Mater Mothers' Neonatal Critical Care Unit. 

Ms Cryer admitted having the twins in hospital had been “very challenging” on her relationship with Mr Durham, as he had to return to Grafton to keep their business operating.

“There was a time where I didn’t see Troy for seven weeks. I was staying at Ronald McDonald House with Eva, who just turned one, and it was really hard on all of us,” she said.

“We own and operate our business and we had employees we needed to pay. Troy had to leave the boys and I after just one week to go back home,” Ms Cryer said.

“I know the boys were in the best place they could be and we are thankful for everything the Mater has done for them – I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Kai is tipping the scales at 3.1kg while his little brother Maverick now weighs 2.8kg.