Insta-famous fitness trainer Chontel Duncan welcomes premmie twins, nine weeks early
"Our family is complete with our five beautiful children."
Queensland model and fitness influencer Chontel Duncan and her husband Samuel Duncan have welcomed twins – a boy and a girl – born nine weeks early at Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital.
On January 5, Havana Quinn Duncan was born at 12.12am weighing 1509g. Two minutes later Justice Quinn Duncan was born weighing 1480g.
Sharing the baby news to her one million Instagram followers, Chontel wrote:
“We all had our suspicions that these two would make an early appearance being a high risk (threatened miscarriage) pregnancy. We just weren’t expecting them to arrive at 31 weeks gestation.
“But here they are, thriving, kicking goals & winning the hearts of all the wonderful neonatal nurses & neonatologists.”
Chontel Duncan’s premmie twins, Havana and Justice arrived safely into the world on January 5, 2022.
Chontel and her husband Sam share three boys, so the twins premature arrival make the Duncan’s a family of seven.
“We are absolutely smitten over these two angels, and the boys are VERY eager to meet them when they’re ready to come home sometime over the next eight weeks,” Chontel shared.
“Our family is complete with our five beautiful children.”
The personal trainer behind popular full body Sweat workout program FIERCE and gym chain HIIT Station, almost lost her babies early into her pregnancy.
Mater obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Matt Macbeth deemed the pregnancy “high risk” for “threatened miscarriage” and the Brisbane trainer was put on strict rest for more than 19 weeks.
Watch the amazing video below showing the arrival of Chontel’s twins.
The day before the twins arrived, the social media fitness influencer was rushed to Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital with heavy bleeding.
“I have a hematoma. It’s like a bomb waiting to go off. At 12 weeks into my pregnancy, I had a severe haemorrhage and went to emergency where it was confirmed the hematoma was there.”
Chontel was given steroid injections 10 days prior to giving birth to help her twins’ development and she focussed heavily on lying down with her legs elevated most days.
After a high risk pregnancy, Chontel thought her twins may make an early arrival.
The 33-year-old gym owner has five children under the age of six – Jeremiah, Swayde, Paris and twins Havana and Justice.
Chontel describes her birth to premature twins at 31 weeks’ gestation as a “big emotional journey”.
“At the start it was a new world to adjust to,” she says.
“Having an emergency caesarean section like this one is an out of body experience. When you have so many children you have to get use to the process of how caesareans usually work.”
Chontel’s pregnancy was considered “high risk” and was told to rest for more than 19 weeks.
In Australia, almost 1 in every 10 babies is born prematurely. Most Australian premature babies are born between 32 and 36 weeks and don’t have any serious long-term problems.
Very premature babies are at a higher risk of developmental problems. It is possible for babies born at 23 to 24 weeks to survive, but it is risky.
Most babies born before 32 weeks, and those weighing 2.5 kg or less, may need help breathing and may be cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) until they have developed enough to survive on their own. Babies born between 32 and 37 weeks may need care in a special care nursery (SCN)
