Early Arrivals

Our Experiences With Premature Twins

Part Two

By Dennis Davis

We learned a lot from our twins' pregnancy and birth experience. Here are some tips for anyone going through this:

1. Delivering at 32 to 33 weeks is OK these days – the technology is incredible and those babies should be fine.



2. You really do take "one day at a time." Just deal with today. Tomorrow, deal with that day.



3. There will be A LOT of people at a premature twins delivery – about eight or nine, plus another eight to 10 in the room next door accessing the babies.



4. The NICU is noisy: Alarms and monitors are very sensitive and frequently go off.



5. The timing of labor and delivery is totally unknown. I was looking at the days in JUNE I wanted my wife to deliver and her water broke April 30!



6. Ultrasound weights are estimates and can be plus or minus 25 percent – that's a lot.



7. Yes, you can do it.

1. The childbirth movies are gross. But when it's your wife and your children, it is totally different. You will get into it.



2. Have a small sheet of paper in your wallet with important people's phone numbers, and don't forget your calling card. Most likely, you will be calling a lot of people with news.



3. Hospitals are not male or family friendly. They are boring. It will take some creativity and work to make a long hospital stay interesting.



Pages:  1  2  




Want to see more?

• Keep Those Babies in There: Avoiding Premature Delivery With Twins
• Are You Prepared for a Preemie? A Guide to Preterm Babies
• Ahead of Schedule: What to Expect When Your Multiples Are Premature
• Talk about it!