Parent Stories
At 24 weeks pregnant, I went to the hospital with contractions and minor spotting. The doctors tried everything to stop an early delivery, but less than 48 hours later, I was rushed to the operating room for a cesarean section. At 24 weeks 5 days’ gestation, my twin boys were born. Both babies weighed 1 lb 10 oz.
Four hours after I delivered the twins, I was wheeled into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to get my first glimpse of them. Staring at them through the isolette, I could see that their skin was translucent and their eyelids were fused shut. They had multiple wires and tubes coming out of them, and several alarms were sounding off.
The nurse tried to explain to us what the different machines monitored, but I just couldn’t absorb any of it. I felt overwhelmed and completely helpless. The nurse asked me if I wanted a picture with the babies, and I said no. I wanted to erase the past six hours from my memory, and I wasn’t even sure if my babies would survive, so why would I want a photo to memorialize this traumatic event? However, the nurse insisted, and today I’m grateful for those photos. A week after they were born, we found the perfect names for our brave sons – Lochlan and Lex. The word “Lochlan” means warrior, and “Lex” means guardian of man.
Like most NICU journeys, our NICU experience involved two steps forward and one step back. Both babies battled respiratory distress and had typical challenges faced by 24 weekers, which included electrolyte imbalance, multiple blood transfusions, and several days of light therapy to treat bilirubin levels.
Lochlan dealt with two separate grade IV brain bleeds and underwent surgery twice to drain the fluid from his brain. Lochlan overcame his patent ductus arteriosis (PDA), but Lex required a PDA ligation to resolve his. Lex underwent hernia surgery toward the end of his NICU stay. I was lucky enough to be able to produce milk and pumped every three hours or so throughout the twins’ NICU stay. Prolact+H2MF, a fortifier made from 100% human milk, was added to my milk to increase the calories, proteins, and nutrients my babies needed, which breast milk alone could not provide.
I hadn’t heard of Prolacta’s fortifier prior to my experience in the NICU, but I’m grateful that it was given to Lochlan and Lex during this critical time in their development. I learned later that human milk is easier for premature babies to digest than cow milk-based nutrition and can greatly reduce their risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), one of the most common and serious medical complications among preemies. Luckily, neither of my babies had to battle NEC and this may be because they received an exclusive human milk diet!
Lochlan was discharged at 96 days, and Lex joined his brother five days later. The twins were discharged within a week of their due date, which I’ve been told is rare for 24-week twins! In January of 2023, Lochlan and Lex will turn six. They receive occupational therapy to get ahead of any potential issues. Lex is on track developmentally and is even ahead in his fine motor skills. Lochlan is hitting milestones a little more slowly than Lex, but he’s very social and verbal and enjoys engaging with new people. They both love playing with their big sister!
