WE were super excited when we heard “congratulations …you are pregnant with Twins.”We both were at the top of the world. Both sides of our families were thrilled at the news. PREGNANCY was going very smoothly. We both were enjoying the pregnancy to the core till the regular 28th-week sonogram. Unexpectedly we were informed post the sonogram that twin no 2 was not growing since he was losing the amniotic fluid at a fast pace . We were not sure what was going on. I was only 28 weeks pregnant at that point. The next sonogram confirmed the fact that Twin no 2 was in trouble.
That evening I was sent to take Steroids and then was admitted there. I was only 29 weeks at that point and the doctors were trying to keep the Twin within me as long as possible. THE night at the hospital was stressful as the heartbeat monitor would lose track of twin no 2 on a regular basis giving us Jitters. The doctors said that we were going to have premature Twins and they hope that Twin no 2 would make it . We had to do the C section right away since every second inside my womb would be deadly for twin no 2. There were 2 sets of NICU teams at the time of delivery ready to take the twins to the NICU. Twin no 1 was born at 2 pounds and 2 ounces and the troubled twin at 1 pound and 7 ounces. They were really tiny. They were rolled away as soon as they were born …did not even get a sneak peek of the little ones.
The next day morn I got a call from Nicu that the little ones were off the CPAP. I did not know how to react since I had no clue if it was good news or bad news. I wheeled down to the NICU in a wheelchair (since I had not completely recovered from the C section yet) on the 2nd day. So our Nicu Journey officially started on March 19th, 2011 the day, my hubby, my mom & I stepped inside the Nicu along with my Brother in law and sister-in-law. I just felt that I landed on a different planet. As I went inside the darkness of the room seemed to increase with the only lights being the light from the monitors….it was reflective of my emotions right then. Which was like a dark tunnel with a faint ray of hope. As I reached the incubator where my twins were placed the reality hit hard . That is when I was really scared. My babies were so fragile…it looked as if they were not ready to come to the real world yet. I wanted to hug them real tight and comfort them but the only thing I could do is place my finger on their lil bodies. Twin no 2 looked even more underdeveloped. We were very concerned about him. The first few days were simply crazy .
Leaving the hospital without my babies was the most painful thing for us. We knew the twins were in expert hands but emotionally accepting the separation was a struggle for sure. My entire day was dedicated to pumping for the little ones and storing the milk to carry along with us during the visiting hours. Seeing the babies being fed in small quantities by tube was so tough. They had wires all around them connecting them to the monitors and IV tubes too on top of that. At touch time we were introduced to the idea of kangaroo care which was done efficiently by my husband. A battery of tests followed in the 1st week of their NICU stay. Each test would be so traumatic for us …we would be biting our nails till we got some positive news.
UPDATE of a weight gain of even an ounce would cheer us up. Similarly, the news that the feed has gone up by an ounce would make us feel so proud. This is a feeling only NICU’s parents can relate to. Twin no 1 had sleep apnea on some nights, we would get the news as soon as we stepped into the Nicu in the morn…it would nearly tear us from within. He would simply stop breathing while sleeping and the monitors would beep like crazy announcing the impending danger. Thanks to the NICU nurses who would be vigilant all the time. It seemed like Life has come to a standstill and the entire world was just the NICU. TIME ticked by in the NICU …a few days turned into a month and now the twins were safe to be put together in an open crib.
April 11th, 2011 thinks seemed to look better…my twins were still tiny with tubes but at least they were together now and what a lovely sight was it …We were waiting for the babies to be home but at the same time we were so scared thinking how are we going to manage the little ones at home without the Nicu Nurses who were like God for us. AT last, the most awaited day came …the twins were ready to go home on May 14th, 2011. Happiness knew no bounds in getting our babies to their safe abode where they will be building memories to last for a lifetime TODAY my 10-year-old twins are hale and hearty. They are thin but tall and smart. There is no trace of prematurity at all. The day I stepped foot in the NICU, I never thought I would see my twins like this leading a normal life and spreading happiness everywhere.
ALL the new NICU Moms please do not lose heart…I know right now you may not feel great about the situation you are in but trust me these days will go away fast and by the time you know the baby would be jumping up and down and keeping you on your toes.
The NICU Journey is definitely nerve-wracking but a strong family and the NICU Nurses make the journey smoother and easier
