2003 Visitor Stories

Preemie Twins Stories Submitted by Visitors

2003

Carissa
	October 30th 2003 10:51:12 PM
Name:	Carissa Cook the last little bit
Your Story:	James had to stay another month and a bit. Taking both of the home for the first time together was the happiest day of our lives. We went back to the doctor in February to review the hole in James heart. We found out that it had closed. But the doctor also told us that he had never seen a hole like the one James had close over. He couldn?t believe it didn?t need to be operated on. Because of the size, location and the fact that it was also through a section of mussel. Our boys are now just over 8 months old and they are both doing very well. We have been very blest through the pregnancy, delivery, intensive care and even now as there are no long term effects from either there problems or from their premature delivery. The boy?s were born on the 19th of July 2002 and we have just celebrated their first birthday. Well that is the story of James and Andrew Cook.
	October 30th 2003 10:49:11 PM
Name:	Carissa Cook the end of my story
Your Story:	smaller one, he did well and was ok for the first couple of days. After this he started to decline and required oxygen through C pap for most of his stay in hospital. James also had to have long line drips. He had two in his head, one in each of his legs, one in his groin and another on his right leg over the next couple of months. We also found out that James had an open valve and a hole in his heart. For the valve James was given aspirin, which closed it up. The doctor?s were hoping as James put on weight that the hole would close over. Andrew once having the boxed oxygen seemed to pick up although he had to have more chest drains as more sacs had ruptured in his lungs. It was a very hard time to go through. My husband and I spent every spare minute we had at the hospital with our two miracle boy?s. I would spend all day at the hospital before making tea. When my husband came home we would eat tea then go straight to the hospital to be with the boys. On weekends and days off we would sit at the hospital with them. We basically lived at the hospital for 3 months. The day after the boy?s were born my doctor came to visit and to tell us some news. First he told us that the boy?s were identical. This was suspected as twin to twin transfusion only happens in identical twins. The chances of it happening are 1 in 1000. They had also found that the umbilical cord of the smaller one, James was not attached directly to the placenta. There were a few blood vessels running up the membrane between the boys which then went in to the cord. On top of everything else he didn?t even have a proper umbilical cord supplying him. The Obstetrician said to us that James shouldn?t have been with us. So we were thanking God for the miracles that he did to keep our boys alive. So after a couple of months in intensive care Andrew was able to come home. We were even blessed enough to have him home a couple of days before his due date. (Which would have been the 11th of September). Jam
	October 30th 2003 10:47:34 PM
Name:	Carissa Cook The rest of my story
Your Story:	Finally we got there. Things had picked up a little bit, the smaller one had more fluid around it and the larger one wasn?t producing too much. However the smaller one was now struggling as he was having trouble pumping blood back out of the placenta. We also noticed around the same time that the blood in the heart of the smaller one had started to flow backwards between beats. This of course added to the concern. So I began having ultrasounds every second day. My doctor said that to give them the best chance he hoped to get them to about 34 weeks and then he would deliver them. But things started to go down hill quickly over the next few weeks. The smaller one was not putting on weight at all and was having difficulties pumping the oxygenated blood out of his body. He was beginning to show the early signs of distress. We began having the babies monitored on an ECG machine every second day, and having an ultrasound every other day. At this stage I was at about 32 weeks. The second time I went back to have this done they called in my doctor because things were getting worse. The smaller one was struggling. So after consulting the team in the neo-natal unit my doctor decided that the best option would be to do a c-section and deliver them immediately. Our twin boys were delivered at 32 ? weeks. My eldest son James weighed in at 1030gms (2lbs 4oz) and was just 35cm long. He was so tiny it was hard to believe that he had made it. Andrew was born just 6mins after his brother and he weighed in at 1690gms (3lbs 12oz) and his length was 42 cm. They were at approximately 25 weeks and 28 weeks development instead of being 32 weeks as they should have been. They both were taken to the Intensive Care Neo Natal Unit at the Flinders Medical Centre. Andrew needed oxygen and also chest drains as oxygen was leaking into his chest. His blood was also too thick and needed to be thinned. There were a few other problems such as jaundice as well. Even though James was the s
	October 30th 2003 10:43:58 PM
Name:	Carissa Cook
How did you find our site?	On Google search
Your Story:	Hi, my name is Carissa Cook, I am 22 year?s of age and I have twin boys. I am writing this to you because I would like to share my story with you. My husband Justin and I were married in August 2001. We had not planned to have children straight away but if it happened then we were happy. It was just after Christmas 2001 and before the new year of 2002 that I found out that I was pregnant, we were very happy about this. So I went to the doctor and they sent me for an ultra sound to check on dates. At my first ultra sound they told us that we were having twins, which was a shock. Although there are twins on both sides of the family, I just never thought that it would happen to me. As the pregnancy went on I got really bad morning sickness. But that finally ended. The doctor sent me for another ultra sound at about 16 weeks. It was then that they realized that there was a problem with the twins. They found that they had twin to twin transfusion. So I had to go for ultrasounds at least twice a week. As the pregnancy went on there were more problems. The smaller one did not have much amniotic fluid around him. The larger one was making extra. The danger was that the extra fluid being produced by the larger one could trigger early labor. So they started to keep a very close eye on things. We were told that the likely outcome was one, if not both the babies would die before 20 weeks. So between 16 and 20 weeks was very stressful. But the 20 weeks came and we still had both babies. It was a relief that they were both hanging in. The doctor continued to keep a close eye on things, as they were not getting any better. As the weeks went on, we found out that one was small for their dates but the other one was very small and now under the 5th percentile. The bigger one of the two was getting most of the nutrition, which meant the smaller one was getting very little and not growing. We were told for them to have a chance they would need to make it to 28 weeks at lea
Sarah
	August 18th 2003 06:15:32 AM
Name:	sarah lyons
How did you find our site?	ask jeeves
Your Story:	i found out i was expecting twins when i was 11 weeks gone, i was sufferin with mornin sickness really badly! people always told me twins were born early, i guess i proved them wrong.. 9 days before my due date i was induced because i was so uncomfortable. after only 9 hours off labour i delivered my son, mason weighing 5lb. 11 manutes later to my surprise my daughter zoe was born weighing 5lb 8ozs. after 4 days in hospital we were allowed home. the twins are now 7 months old and are doing everything, including walking!!! my babies are miracles.
Connie
	July 16th 2003 02:49:05 PM
Name:	Connie Kay
How did you find our site?	web surfing
Your Story:	My daughter Nichole was born 9 wks premature due to a placental abruption that was diagnosed in my 3rd mth of pregnancy. When I started spotting, thank God, the on call doc told me to go to the hospital for overnight observation. While there, I hemmoraged and emergency c-section was done, the doctor said I almost didn’t make it. Nichole was 3 lbs 2 oz. and spent 28 days in NICU before coming home with an apnea monitor for 5 mths. 1 year later she is 22 lbs and almost caught up on her corrected age. I thank medical technology for her survival.
Jennifer
	July 9th 2003 08:59:02 AM
Name:	Jennifer Tom
How did you find our site?	surfing
Your Story:	My twin girls were born 16 weeks early at 1 lb 3.8 ozs and the other 1 lb 1.4 ozs. They both were in the hospital for 3 1/2 months and came home one week after another. They are now 4 years old and my youngest twin has a mild form of cerebral palsy. They are my miracle babies
Kelsi
	July 7th 2003 03:46:18 PM
Name:	Kelsi
Your Story:	I was hospitalized at 23 weeks with preterm labor. They put me on magnesium sulfate and I was catheterized. We had a brief scare at 27 weeks when I developed a bad kidney infection which caused my contractions to be about 1-2 minutes apart. Thankfully, they managed to get the infection under control and stop the contractions. My water broke at 30 weeks and 5 days. Jack (baby A) was 3 lbs 5 oz and Dean (baby B) was 2 lbs 13 oz. They both had to be intubated because of immature lungs (even with 2 doses of steroids), they both had pdas and were jaundiced. Dean had to have a chest tube because his lung had a leak that caused it to collapse. It was removed after 1 week. They started nippling when they were 34 weeks. I was able to breastfeed them when they got to be 36 weeks. Jack was a very good eater but Dean had trouble latching on. They came home 1 week before their due date, both on apnea monitors. Jack was also on 2 different diuretics, aminophylline, sodium chloride and potassium chloride. It took 1 week at home for Dean to finally latch on. The monitors were discontinued after 3 months at home. They are now almost 8 months old and growing well – Jack is 14 lbs and Dean is 12 1/2 lbs. Their developmental exams were normal for preemies, I’m still breastfeeding and they are also getting cereal and fruit. Dean had some reflux at first but eventually outgrew it. We’re very lucky to have had them at one of the best NICU’s in the country. The care that we all received was absolutely phenomenal (Providence St. Joseph in Burbank, CA). We are incredibly lucky and just marvel at our beautiful boys every day. For those of you who are going through this now – keep the faith, things will improve and soon you’ll have your beautiful babies at home. My heart goes out to you all. Kelsi – Van Nuys, CA
Katharine
	June 26th 2003 01:04:59 PM
Name:	Katharine
How did you find our site?	Google
Your Story:	My twin boys were born on June 5 at 26 weeks 5 days. I had been on hospitalized bedrest since I was 23 weeks due to preterm labor. I had been hoping to make it to at least 28 weeks, but the boys had other plans. They were born weighing 2 lbs. 4.5 oz. and 2 lbs. 4 oz. They were both put on ventilators, but baby A got off his after about a week and baby B was off his after about 2 weeks. Baby A had to have surgery at 1 week for a perforated intestine and he now has an ostomy, which he’ll keep until he’s 6-8 months old. He also has a hernia, which they will fix when they go in to repair his intestine. Oterwise, both boys are healthy and just need to grow. We feel very lucky that they are doing so well. We plan to take them home in August, around 38 weeks.
Shannon
	June 20th 2003 06:46:33 PM
Name:	Shannon
How did you find our site?	looking for preemie info
Your Story:	Pregnant with fraternal twins in 2002 and my water broke on Baby B at 12 weeks. They swore up and down that this baby would die in utero. I went for u/s every week and was on restricted bedrest. At 18 weeks, baby B started regaining a little fluid… and by 30 weeks she had quite a bit for herself. I started having bleeding and leaking at 31 weeks, but managed to keep cooking them until 33 weeks and 5 days. They opted for a c-section after trying to induce. Abby was born first weighing 4lbs 10oz and Becca (baby B) weighed 3lbs 15oz. Both girls were in the NICU for a month, had some feeding issues, and reflux and apnea. They came home with oxygen during feeds. Becca was born with arthrogryposis because she was squished inutero. She has dislocated hips, contractures of the left arm and knees, clubbed foot on the right, and plagiocephaly (flat head) we currently go to shriners childrens hospital and the girls are doing well. They are 9months this month.. abby weighs 22 lbs and Becca weighs 19. ) love my girls! wouldnt have them any other way than together
Kristi
	June 19th 2003 05:16:37 PM
Name:	Kristi Moore
How did you find our site?	babiesstories.com
Your Story:	I guess I dont have much of a story, but here it is. I went into preterm labor at 28 weeks and was put on bed rest. I delivered Kody and Kaylee at 33 weeks. Kody was first at 4 lbs 9 oz and 18 inches and Kaylee was next weighing 4 lbs 6 oz and was 16 1/2 inches. They never needed oxygen and were only in the NICU for 3 days for IV fluids and food until they were able to nurse. They were in the transitional nursery for the next 5 days and then came home. Kody has really never had any trouble. Kaylee has had some trouble with feeding and weight gain, but now they are almost 1 and are just about the happiest babies alive. Kody is now 22 lbs and Kaylee is 16 lbs. Thanks for looking.
Britney
	June 18th 2003 04:32:34 PM
Name:	Britney Parison
How did you find our site?	Great
Your Story:	My twins where born at 32 weeks. I was only 22 when they where born, on October 19. Jesse Ryan was born weighing 3 lbs. 8 oz. unfortunately he didn’t make it, but Alaina Mariah did weighing 3 lbs. 3 oz. She is now 2 years and 8 months. She’s absolutely the best I love her so much. The most beautiful and adorable little girl I ever met.
Hailis Mom
	June 15th 2003 09:55:30 PM
Name:	hailismom
How did you find our site?	I was looking for some preemie sites:)
Your Story:	My twin boys were born December 29,2000.. WE had a rough start,but not as rough as some I have read. I went to the Dr’s appointment on the 28th and my Dr through me in the hospital..I had dilated to 3 cm and he said he was worried if I went home I wouldn’t be able to make it back on time to the hospital They hooked me up to everything (the twins by the way were born at 34 weeks),he came in that after noon and told me that he was going to leave me until the morning and he wanted me to have them natural..he stressed NO C-SECTION!!!!!!!!,well that night my monitor went off big time and Joe’s heart rate was really high and never came back down,my husband called for the nurse to come in and she said she was going to call my DR..He told her there wasn’t anything to worry about that he wanted to get some sleep and that I needed to also and he would be in,in the morning to give me a sleeping pill…I refused to take the sleeping pill and stayed up all night watching Joe’s heart beat…..The next morning he came in and threw me into a c-section….the whole time there prepping me to have my c-section they keep talking me into going to sleep because they thought it would be the best thing..I didn’t want to so I fought them on it,until this one guy came in and started to tell me how I would feel like I couldn’t breath and blah blah blah..needless to say he scared me so bad that they put me under Caleb came first weighing 4 pounds 9 oz and was small,but cute and healthy..then came Joe,my little trouble maker Joe had the cord wrapped around his neck and couldn’t take his first breath..When I woke up I found a man standing over me and explained that they were rushing my baby to the NICU 2 hours away from me that the ambulance just got there and they would bring him in for me to name him and send him on his way.That was something I didn’t want to hear at all…They brought Joe in,he was a good size boy weighing 5 pounds 9 oz and he had the beautiful black hair an
Amanda
	June 14th 2003 12:30:04 PM
Name:	Amanda Falk
How did you find our site?	through birthstories.com
Your Story:	I have 4 yr old identical twin boys who were born at 33 weeks 1 day. While pregnant everything was going well…..i never had any problems, in fact at 30 weeks we were told that both babies(at that time we didn’t know they were identical and only knew one was a boy) were already 3 lbs. Well at my 32 week appt. they decided to check my cervix and found out I was 75% effaced and almost 4 cm dilated. Iwas immediately put on Mag and they kept me pregnant long enough to administer steroids to help their lungs. A week later I was checked and was 95% effaced and 5 cm dilated….needless to say they were born 9 hrs later weighing Kodey(babyA)4#, and Kaleb(babyB)4#5oz. They had O2 blowing at Kaleb for about 4 hours other than that they were both moved to open cribs at 2 days and that is were they stayed for 5 weeks. They had A’s and B’s(apnea and bradycardia) and had problems nippling. When they were released at 5 weeks they were 6#14oz and 7#2oz. They were alittle behind when it came to walking but that was it for delays………..now at 4 yrs old they are both just over 40# and 42 inches tall……….. GOOD LUCK to all multiple parents………I also have a 3 yr old who was 9 days late and weighed 8#5oz and amazingly enough he is the one small for his age now……i am also 20 weeks with our 4th.
Jessica
	June 3rd 2003 04:31:27 PM
Name:	Jessica
How did you find our site?	searching for twins websites
Your Story:	I never thought that i would find myself on the examination bed in an ultrasound room listening to the nurse tell me that i have “two in there”. It was my first ultrasound at 11 weeks and here I was alone being told that I was having twins. I could have killed my husband for not being there. But this was the beginning of a wonderfull, easy pregnancy. The doctors said that because of my size (5’1/2, 109 pounds), that I would be lucky if I carried the twins to 36 weeks. Well, I never had a lick of morning sickness, no false contractions, I never had ANY problems with my pregnancy. I would have kept working (might i add that i worked at a daycare) if my doctor wouldn’t have pulled me out of work at 28 weeks, standard precedure for twins he said. At an ultrasound at 34 weeks, my Ob doctor had trouble getting measurments of one of the twins, and he thought that they were growing uneven, so he sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound at 35 weeks. That ultrasound showed that my twins were growing fine, but my amniotic fluid was considerably low. He decided at my next appointment, after calling some of his collegues, that we would go ahead and deliver. He gave me the choic of c-section, or natural, so i asked him which one he thought would be safer, and he decided a c-section would be the best. So on Monday March 31, 2003 at 1pm i was checking in at the hospital. Stephen Richard was born at 1:30 weighing 5 lbs 4oz, 19 1/2 inches, and Aaron Jacob 1:32 weighing 5 lbs 3oz, 19 inches. Both were born at 36 weeks with absolutely no complications and were perfectly healthy. To this day I am certain they would have made it full term if my fluid wouldn’t have been low. The 3 of us were discharged on Thursday. They were 9 weeks yesterday and are doing exeptionally well, and growing each day. the both are 10 lbs, are lifting their heads (they were doing this in the hospital believe it or not) and make me cry everytime they coo.

Sara
	June 1st 2003 08:02:00 PM
Name:	Sara
How did you find our site?	goggle
Your Story:	I am the mother of fraternal twin boys. Born @ 34 weeks due to preeclampsia December 31st 2002 (New Years Eve). My pregnancy was trouble free though I did start to dilate at 30 weeks but my doctor didn’t seem to be too concerned. Told me to limit activity but did not demand bedrest. On Dec. 30th I went for a scheduled Dr. appointment. I had been exprencing a light headache for the previous couple days but overall felt wonderful. When the nurse checked my blood pressure she told me to lay on my side and left the room immediatly. She returned a few minutes later and took my BP again. She left the room again returning quickly with a doctor. He was calm and I didn’t feel like anything was wrong, he check my cervix and I was 3cm dilated. He told me and my husband to go straight to the hospital. When we got to the hospital they started magnsium and gave steriod shots. I hadn’t ate that day very well and was not allowed to eat anything for next two days not even ice chips. The boys were delivered at 8:19 and 8:20p.m. New Years Eve. The hospital didn’t feel it was fair to deliver them so that they were the new year babies because six other women where laboring. But we did get two tax deductions! Andrew weighed 4#11oz. and Ashton 3#15oz. Both were taken to NICU where they stayed for one month. Ashton did not require any special treatment and was kept to gain weight, Andrew was on highlevel oxygen for a week and had jaundis. We were so lucky that the boys did so well. They are growing like weeds and seem to be developing on schedule with just a few delays like rolling over and Ashton does not babble hardly at all where Drew makes up for both. Best wishs to you all!
Nicole
	May 31st 2003 10:13:11 AM
Name:	Nicole
How did you find our site?	browsing on google
Your Story:	I went into premature labor at 24 weeks and was put on complete bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy….which I thought would be for 3 more months….but my twins had plans of their own. I delivered at exactly 26 weeks on December 2, 2002. My son (1lb,12oz) and daughter (1lb,9oz) were immediately put on respirators. I was told to be hopeful, but not to expect too much. They also said that boys are not as strong as girls so my son, Carsten would probably be “more involved” than my daughter Mia. Boy were they wrong! After a few days he came off the ventilator and other than being born early, he seemed to escape any preemie related problems. He came home at 37 weeks. Mia on the other hand wanted us to have a challenge. She sat on the fence for so long with so many issues (PDA, infection, grade 2 IVH, ROP, disorganized suck). At 37 weeks she had laser surgery for her ROP which they say is regressing!!!! YEAH!!!! But we won’t know how much she can see until she gets closer to a year old. If you ask me I think she can see just fine, but we still need that professional opinion to really put our minds at ease. Mia came home at 40 weeks, but she was still not feeding properly. The NICU staff told us she just needed to be home and things would turn around – well, here we are 2 months later and still struggling with her eating. She had to have an Ng tube again last month to supplement her feedings which made her miserable….not to mention it aggravated her reflux…and having her spit up all over the place at every feeding. Against a lot of advice we decided to try switching formula…. she is eating soooo much better, but not “enough” as the doctors/nutritionists tell us. She is now 9 lbs, 10 oz. which is just huge for her, but when you look at her twin who is 14 lbs. you see what a peanut she is. I would love to talk with anyone who has had feeding issues or anyone with twins born at similar gestation….moral support right now would be so nice.
Carol
	May 30th 2003 10:29:50 AM
Name:	Carol
How did you find our site?	previous post
Your Story:	Makayla ROP stage 5 and feeding tube. She had a lot of problems when she was born like her PDA and she had no skin at all so she has a lot of scars now. They wrapped her in gauze and like Vaseline but nothing compared to Nickalas who still fights for his life on a daily basis. A cold could kill him and he has more track marks in his body than a hooker from L.A. They are still like newborns with very developmentally delayed. They still can not hold up their heads but they try and Makayla is working on sitting up now. But the are both home now and I would love to talk with other moms who?s babies have and had similar problems.
	May 30th 2003 10:28:08 AM
Name:	Carol
How did you find our site?	search engine
Your Story:	My twins were born at 22 weeks gestation. Kay was born weighing 13 oz and was 11 inches long, Nick was 15 ozs and 11 inches long. At 21 weeks I was taking a nap because I was on bed rest when my water broke. I knew immediately this was not good. My husband drove me to the hospital and they did a ferning test to see if it had broken and the test came back negative that I must have peed on myself. I knew they were wrong so Michael went home and got the clothes that I was wearing because they were drenched. While he was gone I started having contractions so they gave me a shot to stop them and it worked. They then tested the clothes and found out that my water had broken from then on I was confined to bed with a catheter. The whole week was a blur but I knew that I was there for the long haul. They did an ultrasound and thought that the bag was sealing back up so when I went into labor again they stopped it once again. By the 6th day they did not try to stop it anymore. The babies were delivered by c-section on the very day I turned 22 weeks. They were given a 0 to 1% chance of survival not very good odds when you are a mom given birth. I was put to sleep and had our priest come in to baptize them before they pronounced them dead. When I woke up I found out that they were both still alive but barely. During the next 10 months I don’t know how I survived. Nickalas had a heart attack and was pronounced dead for 2 minutes when he had a seizure and it started his heart. Nick —Hydrocephalus grade 4 bleeds on both sides of his brain, aspergillus ( a very rare fungal infection that developed on his back and quickly started eating away at his liver and other organs), NEC still has it and they don’t know how or why( a deadly intestinal infection), Kidney failure, heart failure, liver failure, Septic Shock x’s 2 (deadly) ROP stage 5 (completely blind)34 surgeries and still a lot more to go. Lung disease still on O2. Basically you name it the kid has had it. Makayla R
Kathy
	May 29th 2003 10:03:11 PM
Name:	Kathy O.
How did you find our site?	browsing
Your Story:	As I read these stories, I thank God we were as lucky and blessed as we were. We’re the parents of triplets, Lilly, Shelby and David. They were born at 34 weeks 6 days. Lilly was 5.5lbs, Shelby 5.8lbs and David 5.11lbs. I had a relatively uneventful pregnancy and I went to my scheduled delivery date. I had gained 75lbs and lost 40 of it on the table when the babies were born! Our babies were born healthy and were in the well baby nursery by discharge 4 days later–with me! Yes, they came home when I came home. I was NOT prepared for that! But like I said, I feel so lucky and blessed that it turned out the way it did. They will be 3 years old on June 29, 2003 and it’s been great! I have to say I miss the babies, though!! Time goes by so fast. Enjoy every moment with them. Proud mom, Kathy Oliver
Lolita
	May 29th 2003 10:39:37 AM
Name:	Lolita
How did you find our site?	through a friend
Your Story:	I was so shocked when I learned that I was expecting twins. Anyway, I gave birth to a boy and a girl on April 16 03 one day before my due date. I was afraid that I would go into labor prematurely, not because I was having trouble with the preganacy, but because of the stories that I have heard from other mothers that were expecting twins. I prayed everyday for healthy babies. My son weighed 8lbs 6ozs and my daughter weighed 6lbs 13ozs. Both babies were delivered without any problems and are now growing very fast. I just want to say to all the other women who are expecting twins to keep the faith and have confidence in your body.LOLITA
Jennifer
	May 27th 2003 12:55:42 PM
Name:	Jennifer Dunn
How did you find our site?	The Edmonton Twin and Triplet Club Website
Your Story:	We the story all begins when I went into labor at 27 weeks. It was the most frightening yet calm experience of my life. I thought that I had just a simple backache, and put off going to the hospital because there was no need to worry right, big mistake. When my husband took me into the hospital, after much insisting, it turns out that I was 3cm dilated and fully effaced. Needless to say they rushed me to the hospital with a NICU and we all hoped for the best. After 4 weeks of hospitalized bed rest, and a lot of Magnesium sulfate, the nurses let me out of bed. I then proceeded to make hospital friends. My next door neighbor was also having twins, unfortunately she had twin to twin transfusion, and she was only 26 weeks, she was hospitalized so the team could keep an eye on the situation. As a veteran to the anti partum ward I was happy to visit and show her the ropes. We visited, well mostly cried, back and forth, it is very isolating being in there, and became good hospital friends. One day, I heard my friend crying and thought that I could send someone to get her a treat and it would cheer her up. Upon my entering her room, I found out that her smaller baby had not made it through the day and they were taking her up to have an emergency caesarian in the hopes that they could save the other twin. I was absolutely horrified and devastated at the same time. I got so stewed that I myself went into labor and they too were going to take me up to have a C-section, at only 32 weeks. It seemed that one of my girls was laying sideways with her back down and the doctors were not sure that they could save her. We prepared ourselves for the worst. So when they showed me my two beautiful little girls, both alive and kicking, we were ecstatic!!! My daughters were so very healthy, there were no tubes like the Neo Natal team said there would most probably be, and no special medications, only isolettes and toques. My girls were 3lbs 10 oz, and 4 lbs 1oz, and health
Tiffany
	May 7th 2003 03:42:13 PM
Name:	Tiffany
How did you find our site?	Goggle
Your Story:	I first came to this site when my twins were 4 months old. I decided to check back and read the new stories and post a small update! My twins Michael and Amanda were born exactly 6 weeks early on October 22nd 2001. Michael was born weighing 5lbs 10oz, Amanda was 4lbs 15oz. They are now 18 months old, how the time has gone by! Michael now weighs 25lbs 3oz, Amanda is just under 21 pounds. They are a bit behind in speaking, they prefer to talk to each other in their little language instead of using english. Michael just started walking at 17 months. Overall they are developing in the normal range.
Vicki
	May 1st 2003 05:51:11 PM
Name:	Vicki Hauserman
How did you find our site?	Surfing the web
Your Story:	I had twin boys 12 weeks early. Baby A (Nate) had punched his hand down into my uterus at 26 weeks, causing me to go into labor and a protruding placenta (very scary). They were able to stop my contractions with magnesium sulfate (yucky stuff, made me very sick). I was on my 4th day of bed-rest when the doctor said they were coming. I had a choice of delivering baby A, and hope baby B didn’t follow or c-section them both. I didn’t like either option but ended up having a c-section. Baby A (Nate) was stuck in the birth canal and was pulled out with a great big POP! Baby B (Pate) was having a good time in his own space and didn’t want to be pulled out, so when he was, he PP’d on the doctor (very funny, you had to be there).[ . They both were breathing on their own with very little oxygen, then Pate took a turn for the worse on the third day, his left lung collapsed and the right was 75% collapsed. So on the vent he went . Meanwhile Nate was doing very well gaining weight and breathing with very little oxygen, all though he did forget to breath a couple times a day (normal for preemies). 2 months later I got the call to come pick up Nate, but Pate would need more time. Pate was on the vent off and on for 2 months. He was having a hard time feeding, because he would throw up just about everything they fed him, and he wasn’t gaining weight. After 3 months of being in the NICU Pate finally got to come home and only stopped breathing once, but the beeping monitor reminded him and all of us to breath again. They are 3 now and caught up with their peers. Pate is very voicetress and Nate is my bully (very athletic). For parents of preemies there is hope and through all the ups and downs all you need to remember is that they will prevail, be there for one another and all will be great .
Michelle
	April 30th 2003 01:31:44 PM
Name:	Michelle
How did you find our site?	yahoo search engine
Your Story:	Continued form last post….. Riley was on a feeding tube from the start and Noah nippled for the first week but then was given a feedign tube as he was having a hard time nippling the larger feedings. Both boys were under bili lights for the first almost 2 weeks the boys were both on bili lights. Finally on the 19th they got off them for good and were finally able to co-bed. Riley also had his PICC line taken out the same day. Noah never had one but had his IV removed on the 16th. The boys were mainly still having problems nippling, but overcame that also. They got rid of the feeding tubes for good on Christmas Eve! Finally on December 28th, exactly 3 weeks aftre they were born we got to bring them home and have only had minor problems since. ear infections slight colds but nothing to worry about. The boys are now almost 5 months old and are doing wonderfully. They are happy healthy babies who are pretty much at the stages they should be at. They weigh about 13 pounds ecah now and are eating solid foods, smiling, laughing, rolling over and pushing up on their arms. I couldnt ask for better babies. Michelle w/ Noah & Riley
	April 30th 2003 01:30:11 PM
Name:	Michelle
How did you find our site?	yahoo search engine
Your Story:	I dleibered identical twin boys at 33weeks 2days on December 7,2002….just shy of being 7 weeks early. In May of 2002 I found out I was pregnant again. I alreday had 2 children who were 3 yrs and 1 yr at the time. I went in for my first appt on July 1st at 10.5 weeks and all was well. We went back in 3 weeks later for another routine check up and u/s and found out much to our suprise that wqe were having twins who were due January 23,2003!! For the most part I had an uneventful pregnancy. A little bit of spotting around 13 weesk but nothing to worry about. In Sept of 2002 we had another u/s at the hospital and found out we were having twin boys Things went along well form that point on. At about 31 weeks I started having what I thought were just braxton hicks comtractions, although they were quite intense at times. I decided to mention these to my DR at my next appt. and to my suprise they were real contractions, so he decided to put me on the med Breathine 4 times a day to help stop them. The goal at that point was to get to 35 weeks, when the babies hsould be big enough and close enough to term to not havw to worry so much. The meds worked well for a few days…. then on the morning of Dec 6th I woke up and my water broke. I was examined at the hospital in town where I was told that I had indeed ruptured butwas only 1cm dialated. I was transferred to a larger hospital that had a NICU…this was about 2pm. I spent the next 19 hrs in the hospital recieving antibiotics and steroid shots othelp my babies lungs mature faster. Finally on Dec 7th @9:35am Noah Michael was born weighing 3lbs 13oz with apgars of 9 & 9. He had no problems and never needed the vent, although that si what we were told to expect. Then at 9:56am Riley James was born weighing 4lbs 8oz with apgars of 8 & 9. Due to a prolapsed cord at birth he was somewhat blue and ended up being on nasal CPAP for 24 hrs. The boys did well for the most part. Riley was on a feeding tube fr
Rachel
	April 24th 2003 11:11:35 AM
Name:	Rachel Edmiston
How did you find our site?	in a book called “Free Stuff for Baby!
Your Story:	When I was 22 weeks pregnant, my husband and I found out that we were going to have twins. However, we also found out that the girls were in the same amniotic sac. The doctor explained how very risky this was and all we could do was take it one day at a time. He was afraid that the umbilical cords would become too tightly twisted and clamp off supply to one or both of the babies. Each day was one day closer, but added more stress on us and the doctors. See, our case was extremely rare. We were pregnant with what are called monoamniotic twins. With nothing separating the two babies, many things could have gone wrong. Originally, my doctor suggested that we deliver on the fifteenth of April. Then he decided to change it to the tenth. Well, once the doctors saw the girls’ umbilical cords, they knew that if they would have waited a few more days, we probably would have lost them. Their cords had more than one true knot in them and miraculously they never pulled tight. They had never seen anything like it. They took many pictures during the section and at 10:00 that night, they still had the actual cords there and were bringing people in to see them. Some of the staff called this a “medical miracle.” Others say the babies should have never survived to begin with. However, after spending only two weeks in NICU, they are now home with me and doing just fine. They are definitely miracles and I cherish every minute I spend with them.
Amanda
	April 22nd 2003 09:35:44 PM
Name:	Amanda
How did you find our site?	yahoo search
Your Story:	*CONTINUING TO MY PREVIOUS POST*I had plans on receiving an epiadriul at 4 cm (although I had never had one before) the doctor recommended it for twins, just in case. Around midnight on August 17 at 32wks I had a huge gush of what I thought was the rest of my water braking, soo to find out I was covered in blood. My placenta was starting to tear away from my uterus. I was very scared. Totally against receiving any other drug, beside spiritual which they wouldn’t give me till I reach 4 cms, I deiced to allow them to give me a shot of demerol. It help calm me down a whole bunches. Around 4:10AM I told the nurse I want to push. Doctor came in to check I had went from 3 cm to 9cm. They wheeled me into the delivery room just in time for my babies to be born, without epidermal, Baby A, Savannah Isabelle Deborah, born at 4:34AM, still intact in bag of water, weighing 3lbs 4ozs. At 4:36AM Baby B was born, Jalen Hector Aubrey weighing 4lbs 1oz. Neither babies needed any help breathing. Although Jalen because of PROM and plecenta eruption he had swallowed some blood had a slower start then his sister. After 2 weeks (seemed like much longer) of taking turns under the billi lights in the NICU Savannah and Jalen where transferred to Care By Parent across the hall where I could room with them. The 3 of us spent 2 weeks in there before we established the babies being able to bottle feed, breastmilk and formula well gaining weight. On September 17, 2002 one month since being born and still another month away from their due date (EDD Oct. 12/02) the babies came home. Now at 8 months old they are happy basically healthy babies. Continues bouts with colds, they both have asthma, and Savannah was hospitalized for 3 days last week (April 12, 2003) for pneumonia. Savannah weighs just over 14lbs and Jalen 17lbs. They aren’t sitting up on their on their own yet but they are staring to get up on to their knees. They are doing as a 6 month old corrected should be. We are very proud
	April 22nd 2003 09:32:29 PM
Name:	Amanda
How did you find our site?	yahoo search
Your Story:	I’ll begin with my first born. I was just 17 years old when I had my first child, a son, born at 41 wk healthy as can be weighing 7lbs 4oz . Two weeks before my 19th birthday I gave birth to my daughter natural at 39 wk, weighing 6lbs 12ozs. My daughter was diagnosed with a saccrocyageal teartoma (tumor below her spine) at 6 days old. She had surgery to remove the tumor at 8 days old. Tests showed the tumor did contain some cancer cells. At 2 1/2 years old she visits the hospital every 4 months for CT scans, just in case of recurrence. She is otherwise a happy 2 year old. At 20 years of age I found out that my bf and I where excepting. A month later went for u/s as we were unsure of the dates. Found out we were excepting not only one baby but TWO . I had a very complicated pregnancy this time around. First month and a half of having very intense morning sickness, at 4 months I had a small bleed which lead me on strict bedrest for a week, 5 1/2 months admitted into local hospital for 4 days with a kidney infection, at 27 weeks I went into premature labor. After receiving my first dose of steroid shots they transferred me to St. Joseph’s Hospital, an hour from my home. At 2 cm dilated I stayed there on bedrest for 2 weeks contracting off and on for the 1st week. Well there found out I had gestation diabetes, deiced we would try diet controlled. Week 2 I was sent home just to be re-admitted back into to St. Joseph’s 6 days later. I received another round of steroid shots. Now at 3 cm, there was no going home. With babies still not due for almost another 2 1/2 months I had a long way to go. Medication I was receiving made my sugar levels sky rocket so I had to be put on insulin, 4 shots a day and checking my sugars 5 times a day. A couple days later I had PROM with Baby B. Aug, 16 I was not considered in labor although strongly contracting my cervix had not change past 3 cm.* CONTINUED IN NEXT POST*
Christine
	April 17th 2003 06:41:09 PM
Name:	Christine Searles
How did you find our site?	through another website-Birthstories.com
Your Story:	Hello-I am the proud mother of identical twin girls who decided to visit roughly 6 weeks early. I was 33 weeks and 6 days. I was in a refresher breast feeding class on June 11, 2002 and was what I thought was Braxton-Hicks. In the wee hours of the morning of June 12,2002-I lost my mucous plug. Yet, I felt fine and continued to sleep between very mild contractions until 6:30am when I told my husband what happened he insisted I call my doctor’s office. They stated for us to come in so that I could have a stress test and have my cervix checked. We left home at 7 am and reached the hospital at 7:30 am. When 7:45 am rolled around, the nurse who checked me looked a little concerned,she stated she couldn’t believe it but I was dilated to 8cm and fully effaced. I was in just as much shock as she was because I felt fine and figured I would be sent home-that wasn’t the case. I ended up being ambulanced over to another hospital in town because this other hospital has a NICU. So, at 9:14 am Twin A-Shyahn Hiroko was born and at 9:30 am Twin B-Siarah Yoshiko was born. I was very lucky I didn’t stay home and send my husband to work as I wanted or I would have had the babies at home with all my daycare children watching with only my sister to help me! Well, as I stated earlier our girls had a very uneventful birth and didn’t need any assistance. Shyahn was 4 lbs 2 oz and Siarah was 4 lbs 9 oz.They are now 10 months old and truly happy and healthy baby girls who are absolutely adored by their older sister, Mikahla. Babies are truly miracles! It doesn’t matter if you have one at a time or more than one at a time. They are so precious. We are truly blessed. I do have alot of gratitude for the NICU’s out there-you deserve much adoration for all your hard work for us parents of multiples. Thank you for taking the time to read about our story. Best Wishes.
Samatha
	April 15th 2003 12:18:11 PM
Name:	Michael and Samantha Hays
How did you find our site?	Search Engine
Your Story:	Our set of twins were born 14 weeks early at 26 weeks. Our son weighed in at 2lbs 3oz, our daughter 2lbs 2oz. When our twins were born they both had RDS, our son was not as bad as our daughter. They both received the serfacnt to help their lungs matutre quicker. They placed both of them on the ventilator, our son ripped his ET tube and was breathing fine on room air. Our daughter she remained on the vent for 4 weeks. The Dr’s did a ultra sound of their heads to make sure there was not a intrcranal bleed (IVH) Our son was in the clear, but our daughter she did have the IVH. The checked from week to week. The ventricles kept getting bigger and bigger, so the had to do surgery, and this is after she had finally just got off the vent 3 days prior. She had to have the resivoir placement. It worked, the swelling of her head went down just within a few hours after the surgery. However, she did end up with very minor brain damage, the damage is located in the front lobe which means the worst of it might be she could be a bad speller or be bad in math, or have speech problems. Our son he did really well in the NICU, the only problem he had was apnea and bradycardia, no infections or anything. Our daughter had PDA, IVH, RDS and other various infections. When they both were stable enough to put them in the same isolette is was wonderful , they both improved so fast that it was amazing. The Dr’s told us that for 26 weekers these babies flew through the NICU, we were out of there 4 weeks before my due date. We named them Broderick Lee and Abigail Faith. They are doing great now they are 5 months. Broderick weighs 11lbs 6oz, Abigail 9lbs 5oz. For all of you who read this keep God in mind, He does work miracles, He saved our babies, He is the one who gave them life and saved it all at one time. May God bless you all and those beatiful babies of the NICU!!!
Nanci
	April 14th 2003 05:56:47 PM
Name:	nanci salvatorelli
How did you find our site?	ask.jeeves
Your Story:	I’am a mother of quads. One boy and three girls. My beautiful angles were born 3:37-3:40am on November 24, 2003. My precious boy Joseph Paul died an hour after he was born. We weighted 15 ounces. My darling baby girl Alexis Rose died on Nov.28 four days after she was born. She died of grade 4 bleed and two strokes. The amount of blood pressure caused her brain to decrease and started entered down toward the back of her neck. She was on life support and we made the decicison to let her go. We feel we made the right decision but it kills us everyday to know we lost two of our babies. Gianna Marie was next weighing 1.5plds she has BHP, chronic lung disease. She is very sick. She has been to three hospitals and is still there. Wed. last week she recieved a tracke to help her breath. She is getting better, but she will not be home till at least the summer with a 24 hrs nurse. and Krystin Lee was 1.3plds her and Gianna had ROP/lazer surgery on their eyes and are doing well. Krystin had surgery for a PDA value that did not close. She is doing well. She came home finally after 4mths on 1/8 of oxygen and a apena machine. Her ped.calls her a miracle baby and said she is doing fine. Early intervention observed her and said she is functioning on a 3mths level so she is only a month behind developmenal wise. I feel both girls will do just fine. I developed HELLP sysdrom. That is why the children were born at 24wks. I would love to speak to other moms. Please write back. Thank you for listing. Nanci
Cyndi
	April 7th 2003 10:10:39 PM
Name:	Cyndi McCartney
How did you find our site?	searching
Your Story:	I am the proud mother of 10 month old twin boys. I am so pleased to see how big they are getting after the journey they have taken. I was told on Valentine’s day, 2002 that there was two, a week after my father died. A little too much i thought to handle at the time. My pregnancy was going perfect. At 26 weeks I started going in for ultrasounds every week and then at 28 weeks every 3 days or so. I went in for an ultrasound at 29 weeks, a Thursday, and never left the hospital. I had them by emergency C-section on Saturday June 15, 2002. Michael(baby A) was having a perfect pregnancy. He weighed 3lbs-6oz. Riley(baby B)was not receiving the nutrients and oxygen he needed. His placenta wasn’t operating correctly. He was fading fast. They kept me on oxygen and gave me steroid injections to help develop the lungs. That was to take 48 hours to work. We lasted 36 hours before Riley decided he had had enough and had to come out. He weighed 1 lb-10oz. They were only on ventilators for one day and never had any complications. I am very thankful for that. They spent 8 weeks in the NICU and came home on my birthday. I could never thank the NICU staff enough for all the support and love they showed my family. Now at 10 months they are happy, growing, and beautiful little boys. I feel so blessed.
Lorraine
	April 4th 2003 07:00:48 PM
Name:	Lorraine Peters and Allan Quinn
How did you find our site?	Through a friend who had premmies
Your Story:	My name is Lorraine Peters, I am 16 years old, i just recnetly had 2 month premature twins, I had 2 beautful baby girls their names are Olivia and Grace, Olivia weighted 3lbs 1 oz, and Grace weighted 3lbs 4 oz, I have been in the hospital for a week now… The were in respitory distress, when I had them , I had a c section after Oivia went back up when i began to push, then they had to do a c section because Grace was breech and they were scared if they waitied any long that the twins might not make it.. They were going to send me to The IWK in Halifax, but then relized that I was dialting quick. I came into the hospital at 7 oclock am , but i waited a long time before i cam in .. My water broke at 4:00 , then i fell back to sleep cuz i was really tired.then when i woke back up .. I got a bag packed and iwas on my way .. It is now a week later, and i feel really left, out.. I mean i can’t change their diapers, or feed them yet.. because of them being so small, and not use to everythig yet, in their minds, they don’t know that they are out of the womb, and into the world, My twins have heart rate drops, which they tell me is ok .. and normal in premature babies.. but it is really scary , They told me that my twins will be in the hospital until their due date which is not until May 27th. I will update everyone later on how they are doing.. I miss them sooo much .. so i am going to go see them,
Carol
	April 1st 2003 03:07:35 PM
Name:	Carol
How did you find our site?	Searching
Your Story:	Hi, my name is Carol and I am a mom of twin boys born at 30 weeks. I had the perfect pregnancy until two day before my boys were born. I was fit, ready and willing to take on the challenge of being not only a first time mom but also one of twins. I did everything right ? right according to the books and my doctor at least. I drank 100 oz of water a day and ate 100 grams of protein; I even made sure I exercised. Needless to say on September 12, 2002 I woke up at 3 am thinking I needed to go to the bathroom only to find I was bleeding. At what I thought was the top of my voice I screamed for my husband, after a minute he finally heard me. We didn?t know if we should call 911, the doctor or just go to the hospital. After several minutes of thinking I was loosing my babies I had carried for so long we decided to take ourselves to the hospital. As we arrived the nurses tried to calm me when the whole time I was sure I must have done something wrong to have this happen. I finally got to my room and the doctor came in to check on me. The bleeding was staring to subside. He could not tell is I was in labor or if it was something else, we were just going to have to wait and see. I was put on Magnesium and Tributiline to stop the contraction but they kept coming. The next day was almost a blur. I was scared, feeling inadequate and very much like I had done something wrong. I had been told I would spent the rest of my pregnancy in the hospital and it could be anywhere from one day to 5 weeks. My husband was a trooper he was there for us every minute. As the next morning approached the same thing happened- I started bleeding. The doctor was called again and the same conclusion was reached. Finally now September 14, 2002 there was no turning back. Bryce Michael was born at 4:14pm and Evan Hayes at 4:15. I was out for the whole thing. The last thing I remember is being taken into the operating room and the nurse telling the doctor don?t cut her yet she?s no
Heather
	March 31st 2003 01:11:17 PM
Name:	Heather Searcy
How did you find our site?	surfing the web
Your Story:	I had already had 7 pregnancies, I had 2 living children, and lost my previous pregnancy at 19 1/2 weeks due to an incompetent Dr. cutting out my mucous membrane thinking it was cysts. I went home went into shock and gave birth I got to hold him for afew hours while he passed, because no one would help him due to size and gestation. Later my husband & I decided to try again and after a few months we succeeded. One day I began spotting blood at a/b 8 wks, we rushed to the E.R. after the prior experience where we found out everything was OK, and one better, we were having twins. This pregnancy went well, no sickness or stretch marks!! I ended up giving birth at 37 weeks, baby a,4#1oz Hasanah{Aboriginese for 1st female twin} went to the well baby nursery, and Hailey 4#15oz had to be put on the vent immediately in the NICU. After 1 day Hasanah also went to NICU due to not eating enough. She maintained well, I got to hold Hailey when she was 3 days old. They got to co-bed for awhile, but it looked like Hasanah was coming home before Hailey. 3 days before hasanah was supposed to come home she stopped tolerating feedings, they ran some tests, and seperated the girls. Hasanah had contracted a staph infection due to someone not washing their hands. She ended up on the Vent and began to deteriorate rapidly, they discovered the staph inf. had turned into spinal meningitis, and she contracted something called enterovirus. Meanwhile Hailey had to be put onto oxygen within hours of being seperated, but was sent home a week or so later on oxygen. Hasanah remained in a comatose state for three weeks with a grim outlook, repeated spinal taps, and now a yeast infection in her blood. I was at the hospital everyday & tried to spend time with Hailey and my other child Madison,3,at home. Finally Hasanah started pulling out of it & had to start all over again learning to eat & breathe. After 7 weeks in the NICU she came home on an A&B monitor. Shortly after she came home Hailey got to com
Michelle
	March 27th 2003 06:13:14 AM
Name:	Michelle
Your Story:	I had a high risk pregnancy with identical twins sharing a single placenta, with the added bonus of gestational diabetes. We had an episode of preterm labor at 22 weeks which luckily they were able to stop. The goal was to get us through to at least 35 weeks. We had planned a c-section delivery because of possible complications with the single placenta. Ironically at exactly 35 weeks my water broke (1145 pm) and after calling the doctor, packing a bag and getting ready to leave we pulled out of the driveway at 1230 a.m. to start the hour long drive to the hospital. It was about that time when I had my first ‘twinge’ that I thought might be a contraction. The twinges came pretty regularly but were not really uncomfortable and I thought that I might even be imagining them. We got to the hospital at 130 a.m. and I changed, got into the bed in a delivery room and was joking around with the nurses and filling out paperwork when I suddenly had a very real and painful contraction and almost immediately had to push. Just twenty minutes after walking in the hospital doors our two daughters were born. No time for the c-section, medications or an episotomy . The babies were taken immediately to the NICU, their initial apgar scores were low (4 and 5), but the five minute scores were much higher (8). Ann weighed 4 lbs. 9 oz, and Maggie weighed 5 lbs. 11 oz. They spent the night being very closely monitored, under oxygen hoods and had antibiotic iv’s in their umbilical cords. The next day they were able to move into isolettes/incubators and we were at last able to hold them for a few minutes. They developed jaundice within a few days and spent a few days wearing special lighted pads inside their pajamas to treat it. In all they spent 16 days in the NICU and were discharged together and came home no longer needing monitors or medications. We are thrilled to have them home now and to be able to really bond with them. Although able to spend time with
Jennifer
	March 18th 2003 04:27:28 PM
Name:	jennifer ramsey
How did you find our site?	www.googles.com
Your Story:	it was march 2 2002 i woke up with a back pain and wnet to the hospital when i got there i learned my twins were not doing good my little boys heart rate had dropped dramaticallyso they rushed me into a emergency c section and got my tiny little babies out they were only 32 weeks gestated and were not doing good when they got into the nursey they were hooked up to tubes and machines and had sticky tabs all over their body i didnt get to see them for 2 days and couldnt hold them for 5 days they weighed 3 pounds and 13 oz-boy girl- 4 pounds 01 oz. i went home after day 6 and leaving my babies at the hospital was the hardet thing ill ever do in my life !!!!i can still feel the destress i was going threw when i got on that elevator with out them after 2 weeks they finally got to come home amd i thought all was well but after 1 week of being home my little boy qiute eating and had to be put in the hospital again all i could think was how terrible of a mother i was for not being able to take care of my son he stayed in the hospital for 2 months he had to have a blood transfussion and we found out he had brady cardia and apnea when he finally did come home it was more sticky tabs on his body and more wires and machines they are now a year old no more machimes wires or sticky tabs but lots of laughter and toys my little boy started walking today and my little girl is ob her way we went threw so much to get to this point and it was all worth it they are fine and healthy still teeny tiny weighing less than 17 pounds but they are healthy everything else will come in its own time
Norma-Lee
	March 16th 2003 08:40:24 PM
Name:	norma-lee
How did you find our site?	search engine
Your Story:	on my fourth month i went in for a routine ultrasound that showed there were two babies. not too surprising since multiple sets of twins run on my dad’s side of the family. we were shocked but happily. we later went again to see if we could tell the sex and confirmed identical girls. everything was going fine.i wasn’t sick that often but i was getting huge. after that last ultrasound the noticed an incompatent cervix and put me in the hospital at 24 weeks on strict bed rest. i did recieve the steroid for that ‘just in case’ scenerio. no surgery was needed for the cervix since i was so far along. at 28 weeks, we had to have an emergency c-section because twin b was having problems due to ‘twin to twin transfusion syndrom.’ both girls arrived and were perfect in every way..fayth elizabeth(twin a) 1 lb 15 oz and hope annette(twin b) 1 lb 12oz. they were of course set up in the nicu with all the usual wires and tubes. on mother’s day, they noticed hope was ill.she was going to have an operation due to nec taking out her large intestine replacing with a colostomy. she remained very ill and a week and a half later the doctor’s stated there was nothing more they could do for her.we were going to have to let her go. the very same day they told us that fayth was ill and was going to need the same operation. it was almost the worst day of my life.how do you let one go and know that the other may be going too? we didn’t let hope go right away-letting her decide when to go or waiting for that miracle to happen. fayth ended up having her apendix taken out instead and letting her recover quickly. hope on the other hand stopped all lines and we held her with friends and family as she left us but not before giving me a smile. i will never forget that. she was 26 days old. fayth recovered fine and is now 10 months old. she remained in the hospital for three months due to brady’s and apneas but so far have no signs of any compications. sometimes it seems too good to be true
Angela
	March 14th 2003 12:10:15 AM
Name:	Angela
How did you find our site?	browsing
Your Story:	I am the mother of 7mo twins. Like many of you from the time I found out I was having twins up until now it has been a roller coaster. I had to adjust very early. I had to monitor my sugar level 4 times a day for diabetes,I had stress test twice a week and at 27 wks I was admitted into the hosp-I would be in and out for the next 4 wks.I had an emergency C-sect and my husband barely made it into the ER, we thought we had more time. Anthony and Tobias were in NICU for 3 1/2 wks. Everyday we adjust and we learn to having our boys. They are our first. It sort of bothers me when people say ‘Double Trouble’. I know they don’t mean harm but to me they are no trouble. Now don’t get me wrong I do have my hard days but that’s when I remember something I read ‘Twice the Blessing and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I always wanted my first child to be a boy. I guess I prayed so hard God wrote me down twice.
Christy
	February 27th 2003 03:05:06 PM
Name:	christy
How did you find our site?	search engine
Your Story:	i am 9 weeks pregnant with monochorionic / monoamniotic twins…i went for a sonogram today and the doctor told me that i have a small cyst on my ovary, and a small tear in my placenta….he said he’s not worried about it, but i am horrified…i have lost about 5 lbs, and my stomach looks like it has sunk in a little….the babies measured 16.5 cm and 15.5 cm…..does anyone know about tears in the placenta, or the sizes of 9 week old twins?
Rachael
	February 24th 2003 02:12:55 AM
Name:	Rachael
How did you find our site?	Searching on the net
Your Story:	My first pregnancy went well. Two years later I found out I was pregnant again. My parents and husband were so supportive through this time. I found it extremely tough – I was so sick all the time. I went to my doc at 12wks and found out I was carrying twins. During this time my husband went overseas with his work. At 28wks into my pregnancy I went to my doc cause I felt something was wrong, so I had an u/s and found that one twin was having problems. They did lots of tests and thought the twin would not live. Again at 34wks I went to my doc and discovered that if I did not have the twins then I could lose them both. So 1 hr later I gave birth to twin girls: Jessica Rachael was born first. She have trouble breathing and was put straight on a ventilator. Melissa Elizabeth was born 10 mins later. She was the stronger, bigger twin and had no troubles. They were born on the 30/4/87 – Six weeks early. The girls are Fraternal. Jessica and Melissa are turning 16 this year and are wonderful girls. I had another 3 pregnancies after them and had 1 girl and 2 boys. Jessica is slightly smaller than Melissa and has Asthma and Diabetes but she is doing really well.
Christina
	February 21st 2003 09:57:12 AM
Name:	Christina
How did you find our site?	Surfing the web
Your Story:	Hi, I’m 15 years old and when I was almost 6 month along with my twins I gave birth to them! Kaylee was the first, she weighed 2lbs and 10oz…and then seconds later Kayleece came, she wweighed 3lbs 1oz! they were VERY small and fragile. Kaylee’s score for 1 minute was 2 and then 5 minutes was 4. Kayleece’s score for 1 minute was 4 and then at 5 mintues it was 5. Kayleece for the most part was doing fine, except she had to be in the hospital for about 1 month do to how small she was. Kaylee on the other was in the hospital for about 2 1/2 months. When i was about 2 to 3 months along with them I did lots of drugs and the doctors say that it affected Kaylee. When they came home they were both on oxygen tanks. Now they are doing GREAT, In January 2003 when Kaylee was about 5 months she got really sick and they took a picture of her lungs cause she was having a really hard time breathing so they took the picture and the doctors told that she has cancer growing on her right lung and it would have to be removed as soon as possilbe. Later that week she had the surgery they said she’d have about 60 percent chance of making it threw the surgery…but they were wrong. She mad it all the way and i’m very proud of her!! she stayed in the hospital for about 3 weeks after the surgery, and then she came home. They are now almost 7 months. And i just found out that i am pregnant with another set of twin girls,their names are going to be for baby A-Sara Chelan and for baby B-Ashaleigh Jace or Ashyleigh Jace, im still deciding on how to spell Ashaleighs name…Well thanks for letting me share my story! ~Christina
Carrie
	February 20th 2003 10:23:59 AM
Name:	Carrie
How did you find our site?	las Vegas mother of multiples
Your Story:	My story from the beginning was very complicated. I found out I was having identical triplets when I was 6 weeks pregnant. I saw many specialist since this was a very risky and uncommon type of pregnancy I had. I had to have a cerclage since the chances of my cervix opening was very high and then at 18 weeks I found out that 2 of the babies had TTTS. I was flown to Florida for surgery and recovered great. I went in for my 24 week ultrasound and I lost one of the triplets. There was not enough room and she sat on her cord where she lost oxygen to her brain. i continued to carry the other girls but went into labor at 26 weeks. Riley was born at 2lb 2oz and Chloe was 1lb 13oz. They of course went through the roller coaster of NICU for 4 months and finally came home. They were both on apnea monitors and O2 for many months after. They both continued to have brady’s and apnea so they were readmitted for another month. They are now 14 months old and doing great. They have no disabilties that we no of yet and were walking at 9 months corrected. They are such a miracle.Carrie
Jennifer
	February 6th 2003 05:44:09 AM
Name:	Jennifer Wadsworth
How did you find our site?	browsing the internet
Your Story:	My twin brother Ryan and I were born 3 months early on April 12,1985. I weighed 1 lb., he weighed a 1 1/2 lb. We had a 90 percent chance of diying. And my parents were told that if we lived we would have cerebral palsy, have downs syndrom, or be mentally retarded. We were born at I.U. Medical center, then transferred to Riley Hospital for children.Ryan and I were both on the Riley Telathon. We were the smallest babies born in Indiana at the time. We stayed at Riley for 3 months, and was released on July 4,1985. Today we are 17 year old juniors at Roncalli High School on the southside of Indiana.

Muller’s
	February 5th 2003 12:13:39 PM
Name:	Muller’s
How did you find our site?	surfing
Your Story:	We had two beautiful girls Kayla 905g and Kiara 865g born at 27 weeks gestational age. Born on 2 January 2003 they are still in NICU on and off the ventilators. Fortunately we have not had any major scares and are taking it one day at a time, we cant wait to bring them home to meet their older brother, Jared.
Diane
	January 10th 2003 07:32:05 PM
Name:	Diane Leger
How did you find our site?	surching preemie twins web sits
Your Story:	I had twin girls 23 weeks and 1 day into my pregnancy on February 8, 2001. The Day before they were born the Doctors told my husband and me that there was no way our babies would ever live. They siad they had 0% chance of living. Next month Olivia and Victoria will be turning 2 years old. Luckly for us our little girls did not understand what 0% ment.