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Remember me from last year?

gablegurlgablegurl member
in Multiples
Hi, my name is Kim. I was here last year posting religiously about my struggles. I was pregnant with twin boys after months of fertility pills. In August 2012 my water broke with Twin B at 17 weeks gestation. I was put on hospital bed rest for a few days being pumped full of fluid and treated to prevent infection before being released with the diagnosis of PPROM, and told I would go into labor within three weeks with both babies. I continued to lose fluid from that point on. Somedays just a little, somedays big gushes. I lost all hope of becoming a mother to two little boys.
At 22 weeks gestation (both boys still growing), after another appointment with the high risk OB's out of town (40 miles away), after suggestions from the high risk OB....my husband and I decided to admit myself to the hospital there, away from my friends, family, home, and dogs... for the duration of my pregnancy. I lived there, on bedrest for a month before my boys were born at 26 weeks.
Max was born at 2lb, 10oz, Miles (the one who ruptured at 17 weeks) was born at 2lb, 1 oz. Three days after birth, Max crashed. His lung collapsed, his heart stopped and he suffered a Grade 3 (the worst) brain bleed. We we told Max had an 80% chance of ever walking, talking, or feeding himself and would have signs of cerebral palsy. Then we were asked if we wanted to take him off of life support. Of course we didn't. A month later, another neonatologist told us due to Miles premature lungs, he only had a 50% chance of survival. Both boys reached stage 3 ROP (Retinopathy of Pematurity-which can cause blindness) Max also suffered NEC, one case confirmed, another suspected. Max has had 5 brain surgeries, and has two shunts in his brain to drain the spinal fluid from it that cannot drain on it's own due to protein buildups on the brain caused from the bleed. Miles has kidney stones now from all the diuretics he was on.
We spent FIVE months, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Easter in the NICU with our babies. We drove the 80 miles round trip EVERY day to be with our babies in the Children's Hospital NICU.
However....
My babies will turn 13 months old on Saturday. Miles IS home on oxygen but luckily NOT a trach (just a nasal cannula). Max is absolutely amazing. Max feeds himself, stands, and has taken his OWN steps on a treadmill in physical therapy. The only physical problem so far with Max is he doesn't use his left hand very much, but with time and therapy he will. He did NOT require surgery for his NEC. Both boys ROP status went into remission and have NO vision impairments. Neither boy still sits up on their own, but both are now rolling. They both get Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Feeding Therapy (as most micro preemies typically do). They both have motor skill delays due to their prematurity and the length of stay in the hospital but they're both alive, happy, healthy and beautiful.
Why am I telling you all this? Because I was the mom who said "I can't have a baby that has anything wrong with it. I can't deal with it." Because I was given little to no hope that my babies would survive and they did, and they're amazing. My babies have made me a better person. Don't ever give up hope, miracles DO happen. Miracles happen A LOT. Trust me, I saw dozens of miracles in our 5 months in that NICU. Those teenie tiny little humans are stronger than we could ever be!
Kimmy BabyFruit Ticker
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