Delight as 'dead' twin comes home; FAMILY: Couple who grieved after scan error celebrate girls' safe arrival.

Byline: Victoria Farncombe

MEET Paige Langston, the miracle twin girl doctors believed had died in the womb.

Mum Lisa Cornish, aged 27, was devastated to be told at the 20-week scan that one of her babies had died. But heartbreak turned to joy nine days later when a follow-up scan detected two heartbeats.

Today, Lisa and partner Freddy are all smiles as they cuddle identical daughters Paris and Paige, who came home from Good Hope Hospital on Tuesday. "When I hold Paige my eyes well up every time when I think that she might not have been here. She's our little miracle," said Lisa. "I'm so glad it's all over and they're home safe and sound."

In the womb the girls suffered from Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a disease of the placenta that affects identical twins.

The pregnancy was beset with dif-ficulties and on June 1, Prof Mark Kilby at Birmingham Women's Hospital told the couple that he could not find a heartbeat on the bigger baby and she was dead.

The grieving parents were relieved when the consultant admitted his mistake less than two weeks later.

But they spent the rest of the pregnancy fearing the worst.

Freddy, aged 33, said: "We never thought Paige would make it. We were constantly worried about her."

The two girls were delivered by emergency caesarian at Heartlands on August 23, six weeks before their due date.

Paris was born at 8.08pm, weighing 3lbs 1oz. Paige was two minutes later, a whole 8oz heavier.

Unemployed Freddy, a former gardener, missed the birth as he was caring for the couple's other four children: Jordan, Claire, Scott and Callum at their home in Bendall Road, Kingstanding.

An emotional Lisa did not even get a chance to hold her tiny tots before they were whisked off to Good Hope hospital.

"It was horrible. I didn't get to see them for a whole 24 hours," said the former pupil at Perry Beeches School.

"When I walked into the room and saw them in the incubators I just burst into tears. They were so tiny and just covered in wires. The nurses put them in my arms and I just cried and cried."

The twins have now been given the all-clear. They finally arrived home on Tuesday, one day after their due date.

A spokesman for Birmingham Women's Hospital apologised for the error.

CAPTION(S):

Sheer joy: A relieved Lisa Cornish and her partner Freddy Langston with Paige and Paris. Inset, a scan of the twins.