Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

Immediately after giving birth to your premature twins, you want to hold them, and tell them how much you love them. But instead, you barely get a glance at them as they are whisked away leaving you heartbroken, and cheated out of the experience of those first precious moments. But what’s worse, is facing the reality that you’ll be released from the hospital while your babies remain in intensive care.

Being pregnant with multiples increases the risk of complications, and preterm birth. Your babies may need to spend the first weeks of their lives in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) facing health problems that may include feeding difficulties, low birth weight, breathing difficulties, neurological problems, vision problems, heart problems, jaundice, hearing difficulties, infections, and problems regulating their body temperature.

The day I checked out of the hospital and had to leave my precious little girls behind, I was inconsolable. The nurses tried to reassure me. But I didn’t want to hear anything they had to say. I wanted to take my babies home with me—not leave them in the hospital to be cared for by a bunch of strangers who only identified them as “Baby girl A,” and “Baby girl B.”

Finding ways to cope while your babies are in the hospital is essential to help you deal with the hurt of not being there to feed them, kiss them goodnight, or soothe them when they cry. Dealing with hormone surges, and the terrible empty feeling you’ll have because your babies are not where they’re supposed to be can be too much for you deal with on your own.

Having children in the NICU is stressful. Your friends, and family will be there loving and encouraging you through all of the tough times. I had a tremendous amount of guilt about my babies being in the NICU, and my family was my leaning post. They assisted me around the house, lifted my spirits, and helped me overcome my feelings of self-blame.

Even though I wasn’t always the easiest person to get along with, I got a lot of support from the neonatal nurses. During your twins’ stay in the hospital, you’ll form a relationship with the nurses, and rely on them for pertinent information about your twins’ progress. The nurses in the NICU are your biggest allies, and they are working hard to get your babies out of the hospital, and home where they belong.

I found an enormous amount of support from other parents with multiples in the NICU. It was a relief to talk to people who didn’t think I crazy for being angry because my twins were in the hospital fighting for their lives. They knew exactly what I was feeling because they were going through the same thing.

The first two weeks my twins were in the hospital, I nearly drove myself into the ground. I didn’t give my body time to recuperate after my c-section, most days I could care less about eating, and I was only sleeping in spurts. My mind was totally focused on running back and forth to the hospital to be with my babies. It was during a fainting spell that I realized I wasn’t doing my girls any good by wearing myself out. So take care of your health by eating right, and getting plenty of rest.

Next to welcoming my multiples into the world, the day I finally got to bring them home was the happiest moment of my life. With a firm line of support and a whole lot of prayer, I was able to cope during my twins’ month long stay in the NICU.