Were your twins premature?

Brandy - posted on 02/17/2010

Hi everyone!!

You guys have some very tramatic stories. I thought that I had a scary run at preemies with my girls but I really not so sure. My girls were born at 27 weeks weighing in at 2lbs 1 oz(A) and 1lbs 13.5 oz(B). Neither were put on oxygen Jade(A) was on CPAP for 4 days and Payton(B) for 7. They were both taking breastmilk by day 2 and neither of them ever had jaundice.They both had bradys and apneas but lots of times it turned out to be the leads were off. They were in the NICU for 2.5 months but never had any infections, complications or set-backs. It was just scary cause they were so small and fragile.My girls to had NG tubes till about 24hours before coming home but they weren't using them. They came home weighting 5lbs 1oz(A) and 4lbs 11oz(B). They are now 15 months corrected and weigh 22lbs(A) and 21lbs 10oz(B) and are 2.5 feet tall!!! They are walking, talking and funnier then ever. I really wish the best for all moms who have preemies it is a very scary place to be but only let it make you, your family and your belief in your own strength stronger cause you will get throught it :)

Sarah - posted on 02/10/2010

I made it to 32 weeks with b/g twins. They spent 3 weeks in the NICU. The delivery was C-section.
My boy was delivered first; not breathing. I will never forget watching the team that worked on him to get him breathing. Chest compressions on such a small baby, just tears your hear out! I was terrified. He never made a sound. They brought him over, I kissed him and they whisked him away.
My girl made a noise when she was delivered, and I can remember breathing a sigh of relief. She's still loud to this day...lol...
they were 3.5 and 3.7 lbs. and had a C-Pap the first 24 hrs.
After that, it was Bili lights for a few days. They were considered "feeders and growers" until they reached over 4 lbs. and could eat, breathe, and swallow.
I never saw any other babies die during the 3 wk stay at the NICU, however, triplets were born 2 days after our twins, so the NICU had to expand down the hall.
How hard was it to go home without babies. I cried off and on the first day I was home from the hospital. I didn't want to go home from the hospital- who says that?!

There are no delays in their development, other than they are small babies, but so is mommy. (5'1/2" tall)
As we approach the second year, we will see if anything crops up.

Your story tugged at my heart, I couldn't imagine 8+ wks in a NICU and seeing what you did.
So good to hear your babes are doing well.
Thank you for sharing!

Michelle - posted on 01/26/2010

Hello and great job to those mothers reading this who had premature twins! It's not easy having twins, let alone premies who may, or may not have complications after birth. We underwent many consultations, treatments and procedures before finding out that something during these sessions had been introduced into my body that rendered me infertile. My husband and I tried the public adoption route (which we are still waiting on a list) before finding success with IVF. Our boys were born at 29 weeks and were 2lbs 9oz and 3lbs 6oz. We were rushed by ambulance from our town to a bigger center wih a larger NICU when it was determined that my water had broke and I was in labour. The normally 2 hour drive took us 1 hour and 15 minutes, with my husband following behind the ambulance in a panic since he had no idea what I was going through. The nurse in the ambulance was great - I had no idea that I was so far along since it was my first pregnancy - she never let on how close she thought I was to giving birth right there in the ambulance! After arriving at the hospital and being in such hard labour, I decided that an epidural would be best. After that, I was calm and had no pain, including any sensation of pushing. Because there had been another mom rushed in who was having twins and was farther into labour than I, I was bumped back and I didn't mind because I was comfortable. I didn't realize that my first son was already trying to push his way out much to the nurses surprise, I was rushed into surgeryand my husband almost didn't make it for the first birth.
My boys spent 12 days in the NICU, then were flown back to the NICU in our city because they were doing so well. They didn't have many hiccups along the way which I am forever grateful for! It was very difficult to watch thier tiny bodies cope in incubators everyday and even more difficult to leave each night. The day they came home was a blessing!
They are 14 months old now, small for their age and one of the two is a little behind. He can't sit on his own yet and doesn't use his legs to crawl, but he is coming along. The developmental teams that evaluate our boys say that he is very stiff throughout his body but especially his legs and feet. He works with a physiotherapist and she is pleased with his progress, yet, I so wish he could manage on his own. It is very difficult to work with him without his brother (who is functioning at an almost normal age) trying to muscle in on play time. I do worry that he won't ever "catch up" but everyone around me assures me that he will.
Besides this, they have no other health issues that we know of and we are very lucky and grateful for having them to enrich our lives!

Danya - posted on 01/17/2010

my boys were born at 26 weeks 5 days gestation. They were two pounds even. (each)

Jennifer - posted on 01/16/2010

It's nice to know that there's other moms like me...



I found out I was pregnant and was already 20 weeks. At 21 weeks, they found baby B. Matthew and Makaylah were born at 33 weeks; he was 4.13 and she was 4.9 at a whopping 45 seconds apart after an emergency c-section where I was bleeding internally.



Matthew was doing great but that night, Makaylah coded and had to be intubated. At 72 hours old, we were told she may need open heart surgery to repair what is called a PDA or patent ductus arteriosis. A pediatric cardiologist came from Orlando and decided to try a medication before doing the surgery to help close the duct and, by the grace of God, it worked!



It was discovered 2 days later that she had another hole in her heart (an ASD or atrial septal defect), but it was one she "should grow out of". Matthew was coming home to his 2 older brothers, but Makaylah was still having a rough time and now it was 5 days before Christmas.



Although our ordeal only lasted 12 days total with Makaylah joining us at home on Christmas Eve, 2008, it was incredibly emotionally draining. We still see our array of specialists 13 months later, but we remember that we were very close to not having our little miracles. We love to hear about others who have been through the life of NICU and we pray for all of the nurses, doctors, and staff at hospitals everywhere--the ones who helped save all of ours--that they have the knowledge, strength, and caring to help families like ours.

Laura - posted on 01/14/2010

My girls were born 33 weeks 3 days. We had to have an emergency C section as Baby B (Madison) had lost about 9 ounces in 2 weeks while in utero. Baby A (Ashley) was just fine though as per the u/s. So, had to call my parents while on the slopes skiing, thankfully fairly local in the Pocono's to tell them I was 'ruining' their ski vacation. They actually had to be paged off the mountain...tell me THAT didn't freak them out a little. I warned them though, I had a gut feeling the girls would be early!



So, went in for the C section. Ashley was born first at 4lbs 11oz and Madison was 3lbs 1 oz which is about another 8 ounces less than they had predicted from the u/s. Madison was nearly ventilated but the nurses convinced the doctors to give her more time to settle her breathing. I thank them every day for that now because she never needed it in the end. Both girls were on CPAP, Ashley only for 12hours and Madison for nearly 48. Both were on feeding tubes, Ashley again only for about 3 days, but Madison was on hers for nearly 10 days. Madison decided to make her own food! They would 'feed' her 4 CC of my breastmilk and she would give back 5 CC when they checked her tummy. So she wasn't digesting in the beginning and was fed through IV for that time until her tummy muscles figured out which way was up!! Ashley was allowed to breastfeed directly from me in her second day of life. I was so thrilling to have her latch RIGHT on and feed with no problems. Ashley was released from the NICU & hospital 9 days after she was born. Madison remained. She fought with jaundice on and off, was allowed to breastfeed for a few minutes each attempt after about 5 days. She also latched right on and fed correctly. She was even able to bf with the feeding tube in her mouth. They soon moved it to her nose so she could bf more efficiently. That seemed to really turn her tummy in the right direction because she started to digest better at that point. Madison see-sawed with her weight. 3 1 down to 2 10 up to 3 back down to 2 12...what a rollercoaster! and finally after 3 1/2 weeks we were told she would be released next day. HA HA HA...that morning I called NICU and they told me to leave her carseat at home, there's a problem. GREAT. She needed surgery to fix a hernia and the surgeon wouldn't be avaialbe until Monday so surgery would most likely be Tuesday and she'd be released Wednesday. This was on Friday! ARGH!! But surgery went well and we took her home next day!!



Thank goodness for my mom through out all this because she lived with us so I could go to Madison in NICU for about 4 - 6 hours a day and she cared for Ashley while I was away. Big Brother would be picked up from school and some days he'd asked to see his "Baby in the hospital" and off he and I would go! My favorite saying from him...Mommy, my babies are in fishtanks!! He would see them in the isolettes and thought they were in fish tanks.,.3 year old!!



Now the girls are about to turn 1!! I can't believe it!!

Michelle - posted on 01/10/2010

Hi
Glad to hear your twins are now doing well after there shakey start, heres my story.
Were do i start, my twins were born at 28 weeks and spent 98 days in special care. It was such a traumatic experience and one that still effects me and i am sure always will. My story started well before my boys were born, i lost my first little boy at 21 weeks gestation due to an incompitent cervix. Then after sometime i got pregnant again ,with twins. At 18 weeks my crevix, yet again started to fail, i was rushed to hosptial and on new years eve 2007 i was given an emergency operation to save my boys. I stayed in hospital from then until they were born in march, 10 weeks later. I had various trips around the country due to suspected labours but eventually and luckily went back to my hospital were, at 28 weeks they were born.
I had an emergency c section and due to this i didnt get to see my youngest son till 8 hours later. Because my babies were so small and i didnt ask, i didnt hold my eldest for 9 days. Both boys were on a ventilator for a day then on cpap. The cpap went on for some time but eventually they went on to oxygen. My eldest and the smaller of the two came home on oxygen but after about 6 months he came off it. Whilst in scbu we had to deal with with many things that every premmy does but unluckily the boys both got MRSA, after 6 weeks of special baths and treatments they were clear of it.
I count my blessings everyday, i am so lucky, by rights my boys shouldnt be alive, but they are and im enjoying every moment of them. My twins are now just over 22 months old and are 19lb 11 and 21lb 8 and doing great.

Liz - posted on 01/10/2010

My twins were born at 33 weeks 6 days.

My water broke at 5:45 in the morning, and by the time I got to the hospital and up into a room ( which was only five minutes away) I was already 9 cm dilated and 100% effaced. My daughter was ready to come out one way or another. The problem? My son was breached side ways. The biggest issue was, where they going to let my daughter be born, and hope he turned, or do a c-section? They opted for a c-section, which probably saved my son's life. My son was born at four pounds 10 ounces, and my daughter was born at three pounds 12 ounces.

My son was born with underdeveloped lungs, and had to be rushed off to the NICU immediately. To this day I still think that the c-section saved his life. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if they opted to wait and see what would have happened after my daughter was born. He was put on oxygen and shot with steriods, and was put on a respirator, the hardest part of that being, that was when the first time I got to see him was, when he was hooked up to that, and we couldn't disturb him or get him excited. Luckily though four hours later they were able to take him off of the respirator, and a day or two later transfer him into a incubator, still on oxygen. He started feeding on a bottle only a few days before he was able to come home, and I was only able to hold him for the first time then. He finally came home eight days later. It was the longest eight days of my life, not knowing how he was going to be, or even if he was going to make it. He also had jaundice but that was very minor.

As for my daughter, she was the one that chose to be born early. We joke she wanted to be at the baby shower, since that was the morning they were born. Her only main problems were her weight gain issues, and a possible slight bleed of the brain. They arn't even sure if it was there or not, because they saw something in the first scan, but they did the second and it was gone.

They are 19 months old now ( 17 and a half months adjusted) My daughter has to wear glasses, a real minor thing which I am thankful that's all it is. And she's determined not to walk. She can but she chooses not to. My son is everywhere.

My son is now 34 inches tall, and almost 26 pounds, my daughter is 31 and a half inches tall and is almost 25 pounds.

Glad to hear all your sets of twins are doing well too!

I am now almost 13 weeks pregnant with our third, and I am hoping for a full term 39 week baby.

Lisa - posted on 01/09/2010

My twins were also born at 30 weeks and spent 6 weeks in the NICU. My son was 3 lbs at birth and my daughter was 2 lb 12 oz. They both spent a week on CPAP and under bilirubin lights for jaundice. To my amazement, they really had no other health issues and once they came off the oxygen, we just had to wait for them to grow so they could come home. They came home after 6 weeks and amazed everyone with how well they did. They are slightly behind on some developmental things, but have no lasting health issues. In fact, the only way you would know they were preemies is that they are smaller than other kids their age. They will be 20 months on the 14th and are now 24 and 26 lbs. I too saw some very sad and scary things in the NICU and am very grateful everyday for how well my twins have done. Glad to hear your twins are doing well too!