A mother-to-be lay nearly upside down in labour for a staggering 75 days to make sure her twins survived - after another baby she was carrying was born prematurely and died.
Joanna Krzysztonek risked contracting a uterus infection that could have caused a fatal haemorrhage or destroyed her chances of having further children.
She also suffered from dizzy spells by lying at a 35 degree angle for more than 10 weeks in a desperate attempt to save her two remaining unborn children.
Delight: Joanna Krzysztonek with one of her surviving babies after she was able to hold off giving birth for 75 days
Sleeping easy: Iga rests unaware of her dramatic birth
The 31-year-old was delighted when she first discovered she was expecting triplets. The pregnancy proceeded normally and Mrs Krzysztonek continued to go to work. But her joy turned to anguish in December when she went into labour at just 22 weeks and gave birth to one baby who was too premature to survive.
Remarkably, doctors at her neo-natal clinic in Wroclaw were able to stop her from having the other two by administering medication to ease the contractions. Joanna was also virtually confined to bed lying with her head at a lower level than her hips.
Medics, led by chief obstetrician Mariusz Zimmer, then tied the umbilical cord and put it back inside the uterus.
She said: 'I sighed with relief that there was a chance to keep the pregnancy and to give the babies a chance to be born successfully. All the time I was thinking only about them.'
She eventually gave birth to baby daughter Iga and son Ignacy on February 15, 2012 via Caesarean section. Each child weighed a little under 4lbs.
Ignacy
Dr Mariusz Zimmer led the team that saved Iga and Ignacy
Both names derive from the Roman name Ignatius, which was in turn the name of several early saints.
Her doctors said they considered her to be in labour from the birth of the first child.
'This procedure - I mean giving birth - has a beginning and an ending.
'If the first baby was born that means the birth had started,' Dr Zimmer said.
He added that it was Mrs Krzysztonek's determination and dedication that ultimately saved her babies lives.
Human childbirth typically lasts between 8 and 12 hours, while a full-term pregnancy generally lasts around 40 weeks.
With help from her awkward positioning and medical attention, Iga and Ignacy's term inside their mother was 32 weeks.
Iga and Ignacy remain in special incubators, but are expected to leave the hospital soon.
Mrs Krzysztonek had problems with maintaining her balance at first after leaving her unusual hospital bed but now visits and holds her babies every day.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2112656/The-longest-labour-EVER-Woman-lie-upside-75-DAYS-save-lives-premature-children.html#ixzz1odoMlr6S
