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| Hercules in baby twins transfer | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Twins born prematurely on a Scottish island are being transferred to the mainland on an RAF Hercules aircraft. | |
| The Scottish Ambulance Service said the mother went into labour at 27 weeks and gave birth in hospital in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, on Sunday night. | |
| Medical experts had been working to stabilise the babies, whose condition was described as "very poor", before the flight to a hospital in Glasgow. | |
| The Hercules had to be brought in due to snow and high winds. | |
| An ambulance spokesman said the mother was not with the twins but was in a stable condition and expected to follow in an air ambulance later, possibly on Tuesday. | |
| Consultants from the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, who were flown out to Stornoway by a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter, are travelling with the twins. | |
| Medical emergency | Medical emergency |
| The flight left Stornoway at 0540 GMT and was due to arrive in Glasgow at 0615 GMT. | |
| Because of forecasts of snow and high winds we didn't feel it was safe to fly to the mainland Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman | Because of forecasts of snow and high winds we didn't feel it was safe to fly to the mainland Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman |
| According to the Scottish Ambulance Service the woman gave birth at the Western Isles Hospital. | According to the Scottish Ambulance Service the woman gave birth at the Western Isles Hospital. |
| A spokesman said: "We received a call at about 6.30pm last night that a 27 weeks pregnant female was having a twin birth. | A spokesman said: "We received a call at about 6.30pm last night that a 27 weeks pregnant female was having a twin birth. |
| "It is my understanding that the twins were born late last night. | |
| "We sent two consultants to Stornoway in the Sea King. But because of forecasts of snow and high winds we didn't feel it was safe to fly to the mainland." | |
| He said the plan was to fly the twins to the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital (in Glasgow) in the Hercules. | |
| Duty Hercules | Duty Hercules |
| The Ministry of Defence confirmed that a Hercules had been scrambled to Stornoway "to assist in a medical emergency". | The Ministry of Defence confirmed that a Hercules had been scrambled to Stornoway "to assist in a medical emergency". |
| It arrived shortly after 0230 GMT and was on standby for the transfer flight. | |
| Michael Mulford from RAF Kinloss said the weather in the Hebrides was very wild and windy. | Michael Mulford from RAF Kinloss said the weather in the Hebrides was very wild and windy. |
| Speaking about the medical evacuation he said: "The normal way of evacuating two babies would be to put them in an air ambulance, a fixed wing. But I think the wind is just beyond the margin so what we did was, we got the duty Hercules to fly up from Lyneham." | Speaking about the medical evacuation he said: "The normal way of evacuating two babies would be to put them in an air ambulance, a fixed wing. But I think the wind is just beyond the margin so what we did was, we got the duty Hercules to fly up from Lyneham." |
| Hercules aircraft have been used several times in recent years for baby transfers but it is though to be the first time that twins will be involved in a flight of this kind. | Hercules aircraft have been used several times in recent years for baby transfers but it is though to be the first time that twins will be involved in a flight of this kind. |