PreemieTwins.com Resource for Parents of Multiples and/or Premature Infants

searching for twin information for sister

I am a proud auntie of 2 sets of twins in a 18 month time frame from my sister. The first set of twins were born on Feb 5, 2003 at 32 weeks. Both are fraternal boys now at the age of 21 months with alot of energy to go around. The second set of twins were born Sep 9, 2004 at 33 weeks. This time were were blessed with a boy and a girl. Its a handful at times at all hours of the day and night but none of us would trade anything in the world for these babies.

My story was too long to post, so here is a direct link to the story which is posted at the March of Dimes website. If you are interested in posting your story there or want to read many stories about prematurity go to
http://www.shareyourstory.org

Here is the direct link to my story

http://208.185.150.64/webx?50@74.XW6Xa9kHawX.4@.ee82039

I have twin girls, Lauren and Brooke, who were born at 26 weeks weighing 1lb 3oz and 1lb 5oz. They both had the usual preemie problems, but Lauren had a level IV IVH and has had seizures. At about the 32 week marker, when they should have developed the sucking reflex, it was determined that Lauren does not have that sucking reflex and after a swallow study, it was determined that she does not have the ability to suck, swallow, and breathe, so the put in a g-tube. She also has severe acid reflux that causes her to cough and gag--but not spit up. Everyone asks how I deal with the stress, but I do not feel as though I'm in the normal situation because Lauren does not cry. So I do not have the demand of two hungry, tired, or cranky babies. Today, the girls are doing well. They are over 12lbs and over 13lbs. They receive occupational therapy, physical therapy, and Lauren receives speech therapy. I just keep reading all these "happy-ending" stories and praying for one for me.

i have twins a boyand a girl their names are john and the girl name is gabriela. they were born september 3 2003 . they are a year already they were supposed to be born october 28. the babies stayed in the hospital for ten days . they weighe bothe of them 4 pounds and know he weigh 26 pounds and she weigh 21 pound. this has been great.

My identical twin girls, Mackayli and Nayeli were born at 27 weeks. They weighed 2lbs. I had to deliver early because of pre eclampsia. That was very nerve wrecking. The girls stayed in the hospital for 2 months before they got to come home. Fortunately that have had no set backs. I feel so blessed.

Hi, I had twin boys due Dec,21 2001.I was 19wks when baby A's sack starting leaking. I went to the hospital and they immediatly admitted me.They also told me that I was so early that I should expect the worst. We made on straight bedrest, not moving off my back for 8 wks.We did an ultrasound on Friday September14,2001, and everything was great.They were doing good the water level in my sack was low, but we were very optimistic.Saturday morning they came in to the fetal monitoring and we couldn't find baby B's heart beat.I freaked out!!!! They rushed a ultrasound machine in and I was told that baby B had passed away. I was so devastated.I couldn't sleep, eat and stop crying.We had insisted that baby A be monitored 24/7, and we had some real close calls.27 wks I had to deliver both babies because my body was rejecting Joseph. The boys weighed 2lbs each and Patrick was in critical condition.I had to plan a funeral and try to be strong for the other baby.2 mons later Patrick came home along with lots of medical equipment.3yrs later Patrick is doing wonderfully, but I still can't get over the death of my baby. I don't know how to deal with it, I don't think I evened mourned his death. I hope someday I will be able to deal with it. I haven't really smiled or really been here for my other kids and husband. If anyone has been through this or would give advice that would be very appreciated.

My identical twins Lauren and Lindsay were born on 18th of February 2004, at 30 weeks gestation, due to complications of selective Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) of twin A.

Lindsay was a mere 735g and 33cm crown-to-heel length at birth, and her 'appropriate-sized' sister was 1602g and 39cm long. Both were intubated for a few days, and required CPAP afterwards. They did amazingly well and had almost no troubles, aside from occasional bradies. They were gavage-fed my pumped breastmilk... little Lindsay took a whole 2ml per feeding at first to fill her tiny tummy.

Lauren was released from NICU on April 21st, and Lindsay on 14th of May, and we've had them home and growing ever since. At their last weigh-in on October 7th, Lindsay is now 11 lbs 1 oz, and Lauren 14 lbs 9 oz.

I thank God every day to have been so lucky.

a link from 2x2 multiples.com

In January 2004,I gave birth to twin girls,Audrey and Bethany,at 25 weeks gestation.For weeks after their birth,they could not breathe unassisted,could not"eat" as we know it and we could not touch them because of their immature nervous system.By the time they were 3 weeks old,they each had surgery and were slowly improving.By April I was"kangarooing"(absolutly every parent of preemies should do that) and they were home April 29th. Of course,I have glossed over the MOST traumatic event of my life,beginning with their birth-from no labour to vaginal delivery of twin A in two hours-not to mention the heartbreak of having to sit outside their incubators,unable to hold them!!! But everyone who has gone through this will understand. Audrey and Bethany now weigh mre than 16lbs and are very happy,healthy,normal baby girls! Thank you God.

early intervention services

Ann Marie and Alicia Maria were born at 26 5/7 weeks. Ann Marie was 780 grams '1 pound 11.6 oz' and was 13 3/4 inches long. Alicia was 785 grams 'also 1 pound 11.6 oz' and was 14 inches long.

Ann Marie and Alicia were born after a month of hospital bedrest in trandelenburg. I was in the mother baby unit most of the time but when I became unstable, I was transfered to labor and delivery for 5 days. I was put on so many drugs that I couldn't speak or see clearly, and steroids were given to develop my daughters lungs.

Ann Marie and Alicia were in the NICU for 66 days and then came home without monitors. They both had stage 1 ROP that self resolved. Alicia had a level 1 brain bleed that self resolved, a NEC scare, and a heart murmur that closed with medication. Neither needed ventilation, which is uncommon for 26 weekers. Both were on cpap for a week, then canulla, and off oxygen by 30 weeks gestation. Both had apnea and bradicardia spells for the first 61 days and then just stopped.

Today Ann Marie and Alicia are hitting all their milestones without delay. They are walking, talking and enjoying their lifes. They had their eye sight checked last month and they even have great vision, despite the rop. I keep pinching myself that the girls were so lucky to not have any long lasting problems.

Searching for Twin Information

I became pregnant in December of 2003. At my first prenatal visit we discovered through an ultrasound that I was carrying twins. My due date was 9/10/04. I had a perfect pregnancy. I didn't have any complications. On 7/17/04, my water broke with "Twin A". I was 32 weeks pregnant. I went to the hospital at 1:30 a.m. and they gave me an IV to try to stop my labor. The plan was to prolong my delivery for 48 hous so that I could get 4 steriod shots to help develop the twins lungs. My labor didn't stop. I ended up having a vaginal delivery 6 hrs later. "Twin A" was born at 7:45 a.m.; Madisyn Taylor; 2lbs 14oz, 15 in. "Twin B" was born at 7:55 a.m.; Malorey Ashlyn; 3lbs 6oz, 16 1/2 in. The girls were able to breath on their own. They were put under warmers to keep warm and placed on monitors to watch their oxygen, respiratory, and heart rates. They did great. At 2 days old there were taking a nipple at feedings. They ate every 3 hours. I was lucky enough to have a room at the hospital free of charge. So I stayed there and went to every feeding. We were at the hospital for 18 days. On 8/2/04 the girls were dismissed, Madisyn weighed 3lbs 14 oz, and Malorey weighed 4lbs 2 oz. On 8/18/04 the girls had their 1st doctor's appointment, Madisyn weighed 5lbs 2oz, and 17 in; and Malorey weighed 5lbs 5oz, and 17 1/2 in. They were doing great. We were truly blessed twice.

I was reading through all of the stories and I now feel compelled to tell everyone our story. When I became pregnant it was not planned. We were very excited! At our first ultrasound we found out we were having twins, we felt such joy. I swear we didnt wipe the smile off our faces for like a week. But that quickly ended when I got a call from my doctor saying that the twins were sharing the same sac and that I had a 50% chance of loosing both of them. We were devestated! At our next appointment the doctor found a thin membrane seperating the twins. She said that there was a good chance that once they got big enough they would probably break through the membrane. So I was put on strict bedrest. At about 29 weeks I started having pre-term labor. They gave me trebutaline to stop the contractions and it worked. At 33 weeks I went back into the hospital for contractions again. It was there that when they were monitering the twins they noticed that twin b's heart rate had dropped tremendously. We were so scared. They addmitted me and the next morning they did an ultrasound where they found that twin b had not grown in whole month. We had to deliver right away. My girls were born on June 6th, 2004. Lily was 2lbs. 4 oz. and Kara was 4lbs 7oz. They stayed in the NICU for 1 month and then came home. Now they are almost 3 monthes old and Lily weighs 6lbs. 7 oz. and Kara weighs 9lbs. 12oz!! They are both living miracles. I can't belive everything we went through to get them here, but we know that it was all worth it. We are so blessed!

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They are at risk for getting sick very easily, so it limits our outings. We get to go back and forth to the doctor, but that is about it. I can't take them outside or stroll them in our beautiful park just yet. But hopefully, I will be able to let them see the outside world sometime soon with proper precautions. I won't be able to take them around a crowd to get their pictures taken with Santa Claus at Christmas time and I won't be able to take them to the Christmas parade. Hopefully, wherever Santa decides to be in my town for pictures this year, they will let us slip in early to avoid being in crowds. My sons are at serious risks for RSV.It is financially a struggle for us, with my husband being the only one working. My sons are on monitors, whom are sometimes a hassle to lug around, however I am so thankful to have so much help from my family. We are truly blessed by the Lord to have such beautiful babies who are now gaining weight beautifully and doing well.

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Noah continued to have spells of apnea and bradycardia (low heart rate). When we finally got to bottle feed, they did rather well. Noah still had heart rate drops rather frequently, which scared me to pieces. Elijah very rarely had them at all. They didn't know how to manage the suck, swallow and breathe technique that is require to eat when they are born, so it had to be learned. Through a long process of ups and downs, we managed. Noah and Elijah both had many tests done. Cranial ultrasounds to check for bleeds and Echocardiograms to check for heart problems. Noah had a heart murmur, but nothing serious. Both of my sons were set up to be on apnea monitors when they got discharged. Elijah got discharged one week before Noah, and we kept him in an isolation room at the RMH.On June 22, 2004 my husband, two baby sons and I pulled up to our home in Atmore. I had only been back to Atmore twice during our stay in Mobile. I was SO happy to be back in this place. Not only did I deal with recovery from major surgery and having two premature babies in intensive care, I had to deal with being away from my home and the comfort of the town I had known all of my life

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with my head held high.By this time, I was making my walk around to the NICU a little faster than before, but still in fairly horrible pain. I wanted to see my babies so badly, I pushed myself every day to walk. It was all worth it. On Mother's Day, with help from their Daddy, I received each of their footprints in a Mother's Day card with a message from them. It really started to sink in that these were my sons and that my husband and I had made a beautifully family for us.Discharge day was bitter sweet, yet very frightening. We didn't know what we would do about being with our sons. Luckily, there was a room at the Ronald McDonald House right up the drive from the hospital. What a blessing! After all that my husband and I had already endured, this would really start the emotional up's and down's for us. Elijah and Noah were progressing beautifully. They got moved into a “crib” which looked like and open plastic box to me, when they finally reached four pounds. I still was healing and hurting, but pushed myself to be strong for my sons. I would try to make it to all the feedings, which in the end had to be cut back. We pushed through many hard weeks with them, ups and downs, tears and smiles. After about two weeks after birth and being in a part of the NICU for the more well of the preemies, our boys were sent to Progressive Care, or the "Fat Farm" the nurses called it, which is the last stop before you go home.

my story continued (starting from the end so go down for the beggining, lol) No one new for certain how well they would grow, if they were all right mentally and how their bodies were tolerating the outside world. I cried hard, and very often for they first few days. I blamed myself for my sons coming into this world so soon. Maybe I could have done something different, maybe lied about having that headache. My family kept reassuring me there was nothing I did, or could have done to prevent this from happening.Each day was a struggle. My boys had IV’s and after a couple of days, feeding tubes in their mouths. Their IV’s had to be restarted every couple of days and their tubes reinserted every five. They constantly received heel ****** making their heels sore, scabbed and bruised. They were on a medication, which helped with their bradycardia, which is common in preemie babies. They had monitor leads stuck to their chests to monitor their breathing and heart rate. They were in tiny little clear boxes called isolettes to keep them warm. My husband and I traveled in an out, scrubbing and gowning quite often while I was in the hospital. They finally started being fed my breast milk through a syringe and a tube leading into their stomachs. Their first bowel movements were absolutely joyous (its a good thing when they are that small)!Two days before I was to be discharged, I started getting an awful headache. I couldn't keep my head up to see my sons. I then told the nurses and spoke with an anesthesiologist. I had a spinal headache. I went back into the recovery room to have what is called a "blood patch". They started an epidural, only without the medication. The anesthesiologist had to try twice, causing me immense pain down my legs. They then drew blood from my wrist and inserted it into my spinal column, thus evening out the fluid in my column and to my brain getting rid of my headache immediately. All of that pain was definitely worth me seeing my sons w...

my story continued

starting from the end so go down for the beggining, lol) After surviving sickness after my spinal epidural that had to be attempted twice, my husband was finally brought in. I heard one of the most wonderful sounds anyone in this situation could hope to hear, a cry. At 12:29 a.m., Elijah Neal was born weighing 3lbs 12oz and was 17 inches long. After four minutes of searching, I heard another glorious sound, another cry. Noah Webster was born weighing in at 3lbs 0oz and was 16 inches long. I got to catch a glimpse of both of my very tiny sons before they were rushed away to the NICU. I will never forget that moment. I was then taken to the recovery room to stay for a twenty-four hour period. It was mandatory that all mothers that were on magnesium stay in recovery for that amount of time. The NICU nurses took pictures of my precious baby boys and brought them to me. My husband, mother, father, mother-in-law and sister-in-law all got to go back and take a peek at these beautiful little miracles. Elijah was on an oxygen hood for about twelve hours and Noah needed no oxygen assistance at all. My husband brought back pictures from the digital camera to show me. Noah had an IV in his head, while Elijah had one in his left hand. They were so beautiful, yet so tiny, their future very uncertain.After twenty-four tough hours, at one in the morning, my nurses wheeled my stretcher to the NICU. I got to see my sons, finally, their entire little bodies, for the first time. Oh, they were beautiful. I didn't get to stay but for about five minutes and I didn't get to touch them, but that was okay with me. I got to see my sons. It was tough making the transition of actually having to move around a bit, but I made it through. That next morning I finally got to go in and hold my babies. They still had their IV's, and they had a tube running into their mouth for nutrients.

my story continued: decided to do an ultrasound just to make sure that the babies were okay. They were fine, and I was relieved. A friend of my mothers who works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit there at the hospital had come to check on me. She prepared my mother, father and husband for what was to come. My blood pressure never seemed to go down, and my headache seemed to worsen. The doctors, nurses, neonatologists, and anesthesiologists were in and out preparing me for what was to come.The doctors finally decided that I could go no longer. My blood pressure was still high, and I still had a headache. My condition was worsening. They decided it was time for my babies to be delivered. We had just enough time for my parents to get my husband their camera, and to call his Mom. He and I were then prepped, and I was wheeled into surgery.

On May 7th, 2004 at 30 weeks and 4 days pregnant with my twin sons, I had a routine check-up scheduled with my OB doctor in Fairhope. I was supposed to deliver at Thomas Hospital. Everything had been pretty normal so far. I had some swelling in my extremities, but that was normal for a twin pregnancy. Luckily, my husband was able to get a day off work to go with me. I was spilling protein in my urine, had a twelve-pound weight gain in one week, and had very high blood pressure, mild headaches and swelling. They talked of putting me into the hospital.. Little did I know how drastic my life was to change in mere hours.I was told that I had preeclamsia. My doctor then told me that it would be best for me and for my babies if I were to go straight on to U.S.A Women's and Children's Hospital in Mobile. They could give the best care to me, and to my babies. He said that hopefully they could keep me pregnant for a least a few more days. We then discussed the situation further, and he left to get my paper work ready. I then broke down. I knew that my baby boys wouldn't be fourty-weekers, but never did I expect that they wouldn’t make it to at least thirty-two weeks! My husband and I were pretty much in shock. We left the office heading toward Mobile. I called my Mama and Daddy to tell them the news. At this point, I was feeling okay, but very nervous. We arrived and I went through the admitting process. I then was taken to a room on the Labor and Delivery floor. It was about 12:30 p.m. I started getting a mild headache. My blood pressure was checked every five to ten minutes. It still was very high. They started me on Magnesium. This had ill effects on me. Not only having all of this going on, I had a bladder infection as well. I was started on antibiotics as well as a pain medication for my headache. All of this made me very, very sick. They had continuously been monitoring my babies’ heartbeats. The heartbeats were strong. Baby B kept moving around so much, the

My husband and i adopted our twins when they were 10 mos old. They weighed 8 lbs each at the time, having been born at 25 weeks and weighing just over a pound each. The twins' birthparents neglected and abused them; only one month before they came to us they were in the hospital with healng broken bones, low electrolytes, and no subcutaneous fat. It was suspected that they were also thrown and practically never held. While they suffered most of the common preemie ailments (ROP, hyaline membrane, necrotizing ent., bowel and feeding problems, severe delays, sepsis, hernia, heart murmers) it is the abuse which seems to have caused the most lasting effects. The twin who was thrown has severe reactions to heights (as he did from being held away from our bodies; he would panic and scream). Because they were not held or touched, they developed ultra sensitive touch sensitivity which they received therapy for.

The twins are now 9 1/2. They swim, bike, study piano, play soccer and basketball, take up the collection at our Friends Meeting, and love their brother and teachers. One of the twins told me once that it "hurt him in the heart" when he saw me kiss other people. The other twin told his reading tutor that he had to always try his best, because his mom told him otherwise he'd have to have a yucky job and marry an ugly girl. I did not! The point is, they have become treasures to all who know them and it is due to all of the caring therapists, teachers, administrators, medical personell, legislators (we were really squeeky wheels for awhile there...) and everyone who is kind to my beautiful boys!

My wife and I are expecting triplets. Early on in the pregnancy, we were presented with the possibility that Baby B might have chromosomal defects due to thickened skin on the lower neck. After a failed CVS and a successful amnio, we rejoiced in the news that he was perfectly fine. All was well for several months until, one day, we stopped for the usual appointment at the perinatologists and discovered her cervix was beginning to dilate. Immediately, I took her to the hospital, one of the best in the country with expert specialists and a level III NICU, and she began bedrest at 20wks. We've experienced the rollercoaster with varying levels of mag sulfate and terbutalline. She is now 3cm dilated, on 4g mag and has a terb pump. Up till last week, she kept in good spirits, despite being taken to 4.5mag at one point. We're at 23/2 wks now and hoping for many more wks. Your stories are both encouraging and terrifying. We just want our three little ones to be okay. With her most likely on heavy drugs, I may be the one to decide whether to proceed or not with intensive care. At what point does one decide that everything possible should be done without subjecting their children to a life of pain or tremendous difficulty? Does anyone have advice on how to be most supportive to my wife? We don't have a laptop, but I'm trying to get some audio books to help pass the time. Thanks.

Hi people!

Property me very much been pleased your side to have visited. A nice hello of me and have still much fun. I wish you all good and laugh times again, am live also still so boringly. It makes good!

hi this is my story. In doing research about preemie babies i have also learned more about myself. My identical twin sister(Marsha) and I (Sonya) were born 1972, April in Monterey park , CA. We were born 14 wks early due to moms bad health and drug useage. Marsha came out first at 2lbs and i came out (4mins aftr her) at 1 1/2 lbs. We were born with hyline membrane lung syndrome. We were also born Deaf! How exciting! Marsha sadly only lived 20 hrs , her lungs collapsed and she died in our dads arms. I was in the incubabtor for 8months and dctrs told parents not to expect me to survive or that i would even c my 5th birthday because of the breathing challenges. I would stop breathing in my sleep so there was a machine there to help. I learned to wake up if there was trouble breathing and it part of my life. I live for challenges and believe that with each u learn more enlightened perspective. I am careful with colds, broncitis and mucus buildup. Nothing gets in my way though. I ran 2 la marathons raising $ for Deaf foster kids, rockclimbing mountaineering since 8 yrs old, i climbed 7 of the worlds largest mountains. I love and miss my sister. My mother was shocked when i signed asking her where my twin sister was when i was little. Noone ever informed me i was a twin. Other twins will understand that i hve a strong connection with Marsha and she with me. I sense her and she communicates with me. We feel eachothers emotions and at times she lets me know when she around or when there is great danger. We grew up together in our mothers tummy and she lets me know she looks out for me. I am a very proud Deaf lady. I am proud to be a preemie, Deaf and a twin. I was born perfect the way i am, everyone is. If we survive as a preemie than nothing is too big for us. Hope u enjoyed this as much as i hve enjoyed typing it. Sonya+Marsha

premature twins search

I have one son age 4, twin girls age 2 and a half born premature after 6 weeks hospitilation at 33 weeks. Nicu for only 2 weeks, pregnant with anotheer set of twins am 16 weeks experiencing premature labor already. Will be hospitilized at 20 weeks and pray for the best. Problem I usually weigh 100 pounds at 5 10 and am already 140 and they are as crowded as my girls were at 6 months.

I have fraternal twin daughters that were born 10 weeks prematurely. They spent 6 weeks in the hospital before I was able to bring them home. They are now almost 7 months old and doing wonderfully.

Luckily, they didn't have any complications, except that they have reflux (one has it worse than the other one).