Proud parents Paul and Debbie Badger, with twins Daisy (left) and Oliver. DA7338THE two tiny bundles that arrived unexpectedly on Debbie Badger's 34th birthday were more precious than the most extravagant gift.

Twins Daisy and Oliver were born three months prematurely, each weighing less than a bag of sugar, and parents Debbie and Paul say that it is only thanks to the medical care and support they received that their babies survived. The twins were allowed home for the first time last month.

It did not occur to Mrs Badger that she was going into labour when she woke at her home in Elm Grove Road with stomach pains in the early hours of October 17.

When the pain continued, Salisbury District Hospital advised her to come in.

"I thought it might be labour pains, but assumed it was a false alarm because it was far too early," recalled Mrs Badger, a human resources manager.

"We only just made it because the babies were born 45 minutes later. There was so little warning - it was terrifying."

Daisy arrived first, weighing 876g, with Oliver following five minutes later at 872g.

Mr Badger (32) said: "Both babies were rushed away, tiny and blue-looking, and we didn't know if they were alive or dead."

The tots were transferred by ambulance to Portsmouth for specialist care for their first four weeks. Their parents travelled there daily as they waited anxiously to see if Daisy and Oliver would pull through.

In November, the twins came back to Salisbury, where they seemed to make steady progress until January.

"Daisy had been breathing on her own, but Oliver, who had chronic lung disease, still needed oxygen until January 1," said Mr Badger, who works for QinetiQ at Boscombe Down. "Then they both got infections just before they came home - Oliver's lung collapsed and he stopped breathing a couple of times."

Baby Oliver was transferred to Southampton for a few days, leading to more anxious moments for his parents, but on January 25, 101 days after their birth, the twins were deemed well enough to be taken home.

There are check-ups and potential health problems to be overcome in the future, but for now, the Badgers cannot praise the twins' care enough or the support they received as parents.

"From day one, the medical staff have been just brilliant," said Mr Badger. "The nursing staff in the neonatal units have gone that extra mile during what could have been a difficult experience."

Mrs Badger said: "You often read articles where the NHS is knocked, but our experience is that when we needed emergency help from three hospitals, it was there.

"You need to be able to trust people and we were never fobbed off - they always took time to explain.

"They saved our sanity - I don't think we would have made it through without them."