Parent Stories
“My twins Eliza and Octavia were born one minute apart at 28 weeks and 1-day gestation. Eliza was 2 lbs 8 oz, and Octavia was 1 lb 14 oz. My pregnancy was uneventful, but Octavia was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction. Her umbilical cord started to have reverse flow, so it became an emergency. Other than that, our experience in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was uneventful. My babies just ate and grew until they were big enough to come home.”
“Once they were born, the twins had no complications, were not intubated, and didn’t require more than room oxygen. They were breathing with the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Eliza was able to go home after 53 days in the NICU, while Octavia stayed for an additional 10 days.”
“I was told about Prolacta products in the NICU, but I was already familiar with them because of my support groups on social media. The nutritionist kept us informed about what they were giving the twins and why. It’s common for preemies to need fortifiers, so everyone talks about it. The twins were fed donor breast milk mixed with fortifier via a feeding tube, which helped the girls get the nutrition they needed. They tolerated it well and had no digestion issues. The donor breast milk and the human milk fortifiers gave my babies a good start in their NICU journey.”
“Eliza weighed 4.5 lbs and Octavia weighed 4 lbs—just large enough for the car seat—when they graduated from the NICU. Now they are almost 5 months actual, and 9 weeks adjusted age. Now Eliza is on track to catch up to her actual age quickly—weighing 11 lbs—and is about in the 3- to 4-month age. Octavia is only 7 lbs and is still far behind developmentally.
Our healthcare providers have been impressed with Eliza because they didn’t expect her to be so chunky and to catch up quickly to her actual age. After all, the twins were born so early. Eliza currently enjoys her swing and her sit-me-up chair, playing on her playmat, and social interaction. Octavia prefers being cuddled, rocked, and held, but isn’t ready for more interaction.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn more about the process and what’s going on. Our NICU team answered every question and even though the NICU experience seems like a long road, it’s very short compared to the rest of your kid’s life.”