Cadence & Tori's Story, 26 Weeks
Miracle mum Terry Ann encourages miracle parents never to give up hope after her miracle twins survived their 26+2 week birth.
“On the 27th February my twin girls Cadence and Tori were born prematurely at 26+2 weeks. This was the most beautiful and scariest day of my life!
The reality of our situation hit me pretty hard after I saw my tiny babies weighing 830 grams and 802 grams and fighting for their lives the very first time. Would they survive? No one would answer this question. All I had was hope, faith and love.
Our journey to have these two miracles had been far from easy. I had a very high-risk pregnancy which had not been normal or enjoyable for me by any means. I had a cervical cerclage placed at 18 weeks with only 9mm of funnelled cervix left. There were 10 weeks of bed rest, Hyperemesis gravidarum and in the end Chorioamnionitis and an emergency Caesarean.
Due to the infection my girls were very sick and I did not get to hold them for two weeks. I was almost too scared to hold them when they were finally stable enough. But when I did I felt like a Mummy to them for the first time. I saw that their oxygen saturation levels increased and I felt the connection I had longed for so much.
Kangaroo Care also helped me with keeping up with the supply of breast milk my tiny babies needed so much. I believe so strongly in the benefits of Kangaroo Care. Not only for the babies but for Mums and Dads too!
Some days the stress, the heartache of not being able to take your baby home with you is all too much and in those moments you can spend holding and cuddling your baby it can just bring you some form of peace just to get you through.
The NICU journey is hard and every baby and family experiences different trials and tribulations, but we all share a common bond. You will never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option.
As I write this my girls are asleep soundly in their beds at home. They are now 14 months old (actual) and doing so well they make me so proud everyday.
There is light at the end of those dark days - never give up hope.”
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