Child's Birth Year
2024

State/Province/Territory
Virginia

NICU Hospital for my journey
John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

My NICU Graduate's Journey
We knew Henry and Miles would need a NICU stay after they had developed TTTS and needed emergency placental separation at 25 weeks gestation. After they were born, they were whisked off to the NICU and I knew they were in the best care. Henry was able to leave the NICU after a couple hours monitoring, but did have to stay in the Newborn Nursery for a week to keep warm and wait for an MRI to make sure everything was okay. He also needed a feeding tube for a couple of days. Miles stayed in the NICU for 20 days. He was the smaller twin, and learning to eat was hard for him. He was on a feeding tube for most of those days. Toward the end of his journey, he was transferred from the NICU in Baltimore to the NICU at Sibley Memorial Hospital - we were so happy to have him closer to home so we could spend more time with him. Finally seeing both my sweet boys together after a long and stressful pregnancy and NICU stay made everything worth it. Leaving the hospital without my boys was heartbreaking, and it never got easier leaving them at the end of the night. I'm eternally grateful for the nurses and doctors that took such good care of Henry and Miles right from the start - I can't say thank you enough to the teams at John Hopkins and Sibley.

What makes you proud of you NICU graduate?
They're just so strong! The whole pregnancy, they measured very small, Miles especially - he was less than the 1st percentile the entire pregnancy. They're tiny and mighty little guys - trying their best to crawl and stand up at 6 months old (5 months adjusted). They have so much energy and willpower already, and they're on the regular growth curve now! They love to play and are so curious, smart, and (surprisingly) patient. Henry and Miles have come such a long way and I'll always be proud of them.

Weight at Birth (lbs. or Grams)
Henry: 4 lbs 12 oz; Miles: 3 lbs 10.2 oz

Weeks Gestation
34 Weeks 5 Days

Time spent in the NICU (Specify Number of Days, Months, or Years)
Henry: 1 Day in NICU, 1 week in Nursery; Miles: 20 Days in NICU