A young mom who refused to abort her conjoined twins has revealed she was 'hoping for a miracle' when she went ahead with a birth that doctors said was futile.
Brianna Pereyda has described a 'spiritual battle' between 'religion, science and numbers' over whether to listen to physicians, who said there was no chance of either infant surviving.
The 20-year-old gave birth to Josiah and Isaiah at Banner UMC Tucson, Arizona, on October 9, despite warnings that the delivery might leave her dead too.
The two passed shortly after being born, unable to breathe due to undeveloped organs.
Pereyda's struggle between her faith and the rights of unborn infants comes amid a national debate over abortion and how moms, doctors, or politicians make life-and-death decisions.
'The doctors told me they were not going to survive,' Pereyda told The Mail.
'My mindset was that the babies would survive and God would save them.
'I kept saying: 'No. God might give me a miracle'.'
She added: 'Even in the operating room, I had hope that I would see my babies cry and open their eyes.'
Tragically, the doctors were proven correct, and both newborns died within 27 minutes.
'I saw them come out with so little life, and could not open their eyes,' Pereyda continued.
'When they snapped the umbilical cord, they were already declining.'
She added: 'When the twins were given back to me, he has already passed. One still had a heartbeat. The other died right after.'
There was just enough time to have them 'blessed by a father,' she says.
She and husband Emiliano Hernandez shared heartbreaking photos of the couple with the twins, and of their open-casket funeral on Thursday.
Doctors had warned Pereyda, who already had two healthy boys, against proceeding with the pregnancy.
She was told the conjoined twins had spine, body, and organ abnormalities, and that both had 'zero chance of survival' because they would not be able to breathe on their own.
She described tough exchanges with doctors who she says 'did not approve' of her decision.
'When I told them: 'No, I want to continue,' they just looked at me,' she says.
She was urged to undergo a termination at 34 weeks, and to receive an injection that would 'stop both the babies' hearts.'
But she was resolute and 'really stubborn,' she says.
'Eventually, they said: 'Okay, we will treat you'.'
She added: 'They told me they would still help me, but that it would be best to not continue the pregnancy because of the risk of me bleeding out, losing blood, and dying.'
She says she was in a 'spiritual battle — between my religion and science and numbers.'
The devout Catholic says she turned to the church.
'I visited a Father for advice, and this priest — I felt a weird vibe off him — he reminded my of my grandpa who recently passed, and I felt so comfortable with him,' she says.
'He told me it was still abortion, and it was going against God.'
Ultimately, Pereyda says she 'decided to go with my faith and religion.'
To some extent, the gamble paid off, as she 'did not have any complications — just the babies.'
Abortion is a divisive issue across the US right now, but doubly so in Arizona.
The procedures became illegal after the recent reinstatement of a 160-year-old state law that forbids them.
The law passed by The Arizona Supreme Court in April, however, states that abortions are still legal if a doctor deems the situation 'a medical emergency.'
Under current rulings, abortion is legal until the point a fetus can survive outside the womb — hence the medical advice Pereyda received.
Pereyda says Josiah and Isaiah had a 'beautiful' open casket funeral service and burial at the Holy Hope Cemetery, in Tucson, on Thursday.
She thanks the generous Gofundme.com users who donated $7,165 toward the event — exceeding the $5,000 she requested.
'It made me really happy to know my babies are getting so much love and touching so many hearts all over,' she says.
But, she adds, it's been a 'really difficult time' for a young couple who are 'pretty exhausted' and 'still trying to process this.'
'I think a part of us died that day,' she says.
'I especially feel empty because I carried them for so long.'
Even so, Pereyda has no regrets.
'The operation was worth doing to give my children a shot at life,' she told The Mail.
'I would do it again. As a mother, if I had to sacrifice my body to save my children.'