VIDEO: Unborn baby holds dying twin’s hand in the womb

The unborn baby girl holding her brother's hand in the sonogram picture

A couple who are expecting baby twins have shared a ultrasound image showing their unborn children holding hands in the womb.

Ian and Brittani McIntire, from Kansas, hadn't planned on having any more children when they unexpectedly became pregnant with twins - one boy and one girl.

The news was bittersweet though, as they soon discovered that one of the twins - their unborn son - wasn’t developing as he was supposed to.

Tragic news

While his sister was weighing 2 pounds, he only weighed 9 ounces. And as well as being severely underweight, the baby's brain hasn't developed properly and he has a hole in his heart.

He would need heart surgery to have any chance of surviving after birth.

"A great comfort"

As LifeSite reports:

Brittani told Fox6 that doctors decided that they wouldn't do the surgery because of the problems in the brain - leaving the couple with nothing to do but to wait the tragic outcome.

However, at a recent ultrasound appointment, they received a gift that they said they are treasuring - a photo in which the dying twin appears to be holding his sister's hand.

"We didn't really see much, she said there's his hand and there's her hand and it looks like they're holding hands," Brittani said.

"Most twins when she's trying to take pictures and stuff they're kicking each other and hitting each other and she said with our twins it seems like she was very protective over him," Brittani added.

Ian said that the photo has been a great comfort to them. "We know we have a piece of them together that will last forever ... and it's special to have."

Brittani agreed. "It's just nice with everything going on ... I know I'm holding him, I'm carrying him but I just want to be there for him. She's the only one who can actually be there and is holding onto him ... so it's comforting to know that if he does pass, he won't be alone."

Watch Britanni and Ian discuss the sonogram and their children in this heartwarming video: