5 weeks today!

A pair of beautiful twins and two cpap machines :) Our day couldn't have gone any better. 

Emilia and Eva are both doing really well and we are over the moon.

Panic over!

It is 6.45 and I just called for an update.  When they changed Emilia's nappy at 01.00 she had pooed in the bag!  Hooray!  I am not really sure how I managed to sleep as I was so worried.  I had called for an update at 22.00 and been told that the surgeon had been to see her and rinsed the hole with salt solution.  I guess that must have sorted it.

Eva has been a little bit unstable in the night but they have put her back on the normal respirator and she is feeling much better this morning.


I hope everyone reading this has a good day :)  Mine has started perfectly.

Quick update

Poo has stopped coming in the bag :(  I don't really know how much more of this we can take.  The Dr has said that it can happen and doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong, but it is hard not to think the worst.

When I arrived this morning the Dr was working to stabilise Eva.  He changed her respirator and gave her some medicine to relax her.  After that she was much better.

Good day!

We have had a good day, not much change from yesterday.  Emilia was still quite wriggly but not as intense as yesterday which is a good sign.  Eva is still in recovery, quite swollen and in need of a lot of oxygen.  An x-ray showed water on her lungs but she is peeing at the expected rate which should help with that.  She is getting another x-ray a bit later to check that things are moving in the right direction.  We both feel really calm at the moment which is nice! 

We went to the parent meeting today and met all the parents that are in our room.  It was great to exchange stories and be with people in the same situation.  We were shown the best way to change a nappy on a premature baby too, hooray!  I think we will be a bit more confident doing it tomorrow.

1 kg and a closed ductus!

Yes, my youngest daughter Eva Toni Lindqvist had a flag on her incubator signalling that she has reached the 1kg mark!  Hooray.  Her operation went well.  They took her at 13.00 and she was back in at 14.15.  During that time we had her super awake sister out to play who has made a full recovery after her operation. 

Emilia lay on Jens for three hours and then she lay on me for another three.  The poor little thing is suffering morphine withdrawals and has been awake and wriggling around pretty much all afternoon.  I left the hospital at 20.00 and she was still awake.  Hopefully she will get a good nights sleep tonight, she definitely needs it. 

So things are looking up!  I am not going to count my chickens just yet but it all seems to be moving in the right direction.  Our Dr is now calling us Familjen in och ur (The family in and out).  It is like our twins have timed this, as soon as one twin is out of the danger zone the other is in it!

Oh and Felix, Mandy and Martin it is looking like you may have a ginger partner in crime called Eva!

Operation

Eva is having her operation tomorrow morning.  We have been to see her and she looked really tired.  She had an x-ray that showed water on her lungs which is a symptom of an open ductus.  They have also tested her for an infection and she has been put on antibiotics just in case.  As always she is being closely watched and her Dr (who is amazing) has assured us that her life is not in danger.

We are at home now and have decided it is best to leave the medical staff to do their jobs.  It is really difficult for me to see needles being put into her and when I am there I have to watch.

Emilia is doing great and is going on the cpap in the morning.

Update

Unfortunately Eva's ductus valve was open today so she is going to have the operation to close it.  Once it is closed it cannot open again.  She was supposed to have the surgery at 14.30 but she reacted badly to being put back on the respirator.  They are now waiting until she feels good again and then they will operate.  It may be tonight or tomorrow morning.

All we can do is wait and hope for the best.   

Update

Both twins have got great brains!  Einstein was also born premature and I think our baby girls our going to follow in his footsteps, hehe. So that is the good news, now for the bad....

Eva has an open ductus :( and not just a little bit.  She will get a heart scan tomorrow and if it is open then she will have the operation tomorrow afternoon or on Sunday.  The last thing we want is for her to have an operation but we do want things to move forward.  They perform this operation regularly and all should go well. 

We had a long talk with our Dr today and she is happy with their overall progress.  I asked her what the babies chances were and she said that the odds are very good!  She cannot guarantee anything but the future looks much brighter than it did 4 weeks ago. 

Now me and Jens are going to sit in our lovely garden and eat burgers from the BBQ followed by bananas and chocolate! YUMMY.

Reflections

I am just sitting in my kitchen, eating my porridge with my mind on overdrive as usual!  Jens is sleeping, the cats have been fed and all is peaceful.  I haven't phoned the hospital yet, sometimes I don't want to because I want to avoid that sick feeling if something is wrong.  When we left them yesterday all was well and for the next hour and during my pumping session I want it to stay like that.

I am getting so many words of encouragement from so many different people.  Even my next door neighbours from my childhood are reading it and rooting for us. I think our situation moves Mums in a way I cannot really understand as I have nothing to compare this to.  I don't know what it is like to bring a new baby home or how it feels to breastfeed so it is hard to miss it.  I suppose what I am trying to say is that there are lots of positives in this situation and I suppose people who have had the new baby experience could not comprehend what we are going through.  But like I said, I have nothing to compare this to.

What I do have are two perfectly formed mini babies!  In about 10 weeks they should come home with us and then I will have the new baby experience!  In about 4 weeks they should start breastfeeding, apparently when they start they can only take about 5 sucks and then they fell asleep - bless!  So all of you parents reading I just want you to know that I really am doing ok.  Thank you for all the words of encouragement and I am in awe of all of you who have taken a new born directly home and just got on with it.  Just turning my babies over can make me sweat.

By the time we take Eva and Emilia home we should be pros in the ways of the baby! 

It finally came!

Yes, Emilia's bag has officially been filled!  Hooray.  Our Dr greeted us with a beaming face and broke the news, it is a big relief.  Jens held her today.  She is doing well with no sign of infection.  If her progress continues she will be on the Cpap at the beginning of next week.  Being on the respirator is uncomfortable and she looked quite distressed today which is heartbreaking.  She was much calmer though when she came out to play.

I spent a lot of time with Eva today who is still having problems breathing when she gets food and poos.  While I was feeding her, her blood pressure dropped really low.  Usually the Nurses can fix it quite easily but not this time :(  A team of three doctors had to resuscitate her after she turned blue.  It was so awful!  The good thing is that she has had a really calm evening and we found out afterwards that it wasn't as serious as it looked.  As soon as her normal Dr came on the scene who knows her well and her specific problems calm was restored.  I have decided that from now on I am not going to watch these disturbing scenes, it is just too much.  I fed her twice after this without any problems and read her a story.  We have left her stable and cosy! :)

Emilia had a brain scan today and everything is developing as it should.  The small amount of bleeding that was present after the birth has gone.  Eva will be having hers tomorrow so fingers crossed.

Even though things are really up and down I have started to feel like our baby girls are going to make it.  The problems they are having are normal for premature babies and a phase they need to go through. We have pretty much decided which pram we are going to get and even test drove an estate car today.  Things are only going to get better for the Lindqvist family :)

4 weeks today!

We called for an update this morning as we decided to take a trip to look at prams and wardrobes before we went to the hospital.  We were told that Emilia's blood pressure was low and that our Dr suspected an infection was on its way :(  Not the best start to the day!  Anyway we managed to keep our spirits up and get our jobs done.

We have just left the hospital and Emilia's latest test results have not shown an infection :)  Both girls were really stable the whole time we were there (probably the first time we haven't left with headaches).  I held Eva for 3 hours and there was almost no beeping at all!  A bit of a difference to yesterday!  After my time with her me and Jens changed her nappy.  There was a tiny bit of a poo in it so we needed to clean her.  In the meantime I put a little changing mat under her.  As Jens was getting the little cloth my baby girl exploded! haha, she may be small but my god she has power (I am so proud of her)!  Luckily the poo stayed on the changing mat and we didn't get it on her bed (like we did last time, oops!).  Afterwards it was so funny but at the time really stressful.  Usually there is a Nurse with us but this time we were on our own.  We are going to a much needed parent class on Monday!

There is still no poo in the bag but Emilia is still getting food.  I am convinced it is a matter of time and it is going to be ok. 

Nice afternoon :)

We just cycled back from the hospital after an afternoon with our super cute twins.  They are always cute but there was something extra special about both of them today, I love them so much.

There is still no poo to report but Emilia's tummy was softer which is a VERY good sign and means that things are moving in the right direction.  I asked our Dr today if that means that the operation had been a success and she said yes! So I feel a lot calmer and happier about everything.  I think my Mum may have been right and our gift from Emilia to celebrate the 4 week mark is going to be poo in her bag.  Lets hope so!  They have started her on 2ml of food every 6 hours to get things moving.  They also replaced her breathing tube today with a bigger one.

Eva came out to play and I held her for 2 hours, all snuggled up under the blanket from her Grandma.  It was lovely!  Then we switched and Jens took her.  Unfortunately after a short while she had trouble breathing (she pooed) and so had to go back in.  Seeing the Nurses work to get the thing you love the most to breathe is a pretty horrific experience but for them it is just a daily occurrence.  We have left her super stable and super cute. 

I am so happy that they are in such good hands to take them through this crazy time.

Update

Nothing has changed from earlier.  Emilia is still stable and her tummy is being closely watched.  It is the same size as it was yesterday.  Her blood pressure is a little bit low and she will be getting some extra blood a little bit later.  

Eva is doing well.

Update

Just got back from an afternoon at the hospital where Eva got to spend a relaxing afternoon on her Daddy's lovely soft chest.  I haven't been able to be there for the last couple of days as I have been full of a cold.  I feel much better today but feel like a cough may be on its ways and didn't want to risk getting too close.  I got to spend lots of time though gazing at my beautiful baby and handsome husband.

Emilia is still stable but there is still nothing in the bag :( and her tummy looked a little tight.  When I hear those words I just feel sick.  Our Dr is not worried and they took an x-ray that looked normal this morning.  They may be doing another one later on today and the surgeon is going to look at everything.  They have assured us that as this is her second operation it can take more time for things to get moving.  Emilia is getting morphine too which can relax the intestine and this can be another reason. 

So as usual it is just a waiting game, a game that is taking its toll on all involved.  I will be ringing for an update later on this evening and will update the blog tonight.

Update

Emilia is doing well after her operation.  She is getting lots of extra help to get through this tough time but she looks rosy so fingers crossed that the second operation will have been a success.  It will be a few more days before she starts getting milk again.  I never thought I would get excited about poo in a bag, but I have never wanted to see anything more in my life.

Eva is still doing well although she needed extra help in the night to breathe.  They think it is to do with her little tummy not being able to handle the amount of food she is getting.  She is going to start getting her milk continuously instead which should ease the problem.

My Mum and Dad are here for a visit and got to meet their granddaughters yesterday.  Jens was holding Eva so they got to touch her, it was really sweet.

Operation

We just found out that Emilia's intestine operation was successful.  They found a fold at the entrance which was stopping her poo going into the poo bag.  So they have taken another 4 cm.  Hopefully it will work now and there won't be anymore complications.  This is not going to affect her future life and the bag will be removed when she is bigger.  She is now stable and was just getting some blood when they called us.

Waiting to hear has been super stressful!  I have still got a cold and Jens is not feeling too great either so there is a big chance that we won't be able to go and see them tomorrow :(.

Eva is doing really well, is now eating 16 ml of milk per feed and now weighs 760 g :).

3 weeks old today!

Our babies have reached the 3 week mark today :)  It feels like 3 months, time has never passed so slowly.  Unfortunately I am full of a cold and I am not going to be able to see them.

We were only at the hospital for a couple of hours yesterday, neither of us were feeling too good so we left early.  Eva is now on the cpap machine and doing well.  They are making a decision this morning about Emilia's intestine, there is a chance that she will be having an operation today.  Even though the thought of an operation is horrible, it will be good to get this sorted and start moving forward again. 

Update

We got a call at 4.30 am to tell us that Emilia had been put back on the respirator.  She was really tired and finding it hard to breathe, quite a similar scenario to Eva just before she went back on.  On the cpap machine they swallow air which makes their bellies puff out and it feels uncomfortable.

Emilia had to have a series of x-rays yesterday afternoon and during the night after contrast liquid was put into her stomach.  The amount of food going into her stomach does not match up to the amount of poo going into her little poo bag, so they think there could be a blockage or that her intestine is too tight.  The first 5 pictures have not shown anything and the Dr was not too worried about this (we are very worried!).  There is a chance thought that they will need to operate again :(.  She is not showing any signs of infection which is positive so fingers crossed this hurdle is going to have a happy ending.

I am not feeling too great and think I may be getting sick.  I have got muscle pains in my neck and my throat is a little bit sore.  I saw my lovely friend Christina yesterday who had made me a big lasagne and some soup, what a sweetheart!  Luckily for me all of this stress is not affecting my appetite :)

Update

Just got back from the hospital after an afternoon of me holding Emilia and Jens holding Eva!  Both girls were stable and seem to really enjoy being with us.  Emilia is now getting her milk constantly, 1,3 ml every hour which is making digestion much easier for her.  My little sweethearts are just too little to do all the things that we take for granted.  But every day they get a little bit more mature and stronger. 

We have given them second names too, after their Aunties (and the best older sisters in the world);  Emilia Cajsa and Eva Toni.  We know that they are going to love them :)

Not much else to report.  I feel great today and super positive :) Our baby girls just have to make it, they are too cool, sweet, amazing and beautiful not to!  The world needs these little troopers.

Update

What a day!  It started off really great, me and Jens cycled to the hospital (jelly belly watch out!).  Then we got to hold Eva and Emilia at the same time which was lovely.  Both were super stable throughout although Emilia looked a bit pale. 

When they put Emilia back in the incubator the Nurses had to help her breathe, something which is very stressful to watch but normal.  Then they had to do it three more times, not normal!  I think it could have been the worst thing I have seen so far (had mini breakdown in toilet afterwards).  When the Nurse changed her nappy she had pooed.  It looked like a really early poo which means it had been sitting there for a long time and would have been really hard work for her to get out.  The Dr thinks this is the reason for her not breathing as it all just got too much for her.  She is now getting blood and some medicine to help her breathe.  So we are now hoping that there isn't a more serious cause - fingers crossed!

Eva was very awake after our lovely, cosy time together.  All being well she will be going on the cpap machine on Monday.  

Update

Eva's ductus valve had closed again :) So it is looking like she won't need to have an operation.  I saw her open her eyes yesterday for the first time, it was very cute.

Emilia came out to play for 6 hours again, it is so relaxing and lovely.  She is doing so well on the cpap maching :)  There is a big chance that we will be able to hold both of them at the same time today.

Update

We got home late from the hospital yesterday.  Jens held Emilia from 15.00-18.00 and then I held her until 20.30.  She was such a little sweetheart, opening her eyes and making piglet noises.  She is so cute!

Eva is still on her respirator and we are waiting for the results of her heart scan.  She had one yesterday that showed that her ductus valve had opened up again, but only a little bit.  They are going to make a decision today about whether or not she needs the operation.  The biggest part of me wants it to be closed, but then there is a risk it could open again.  At least if she has the operation it will be closed for good and then we can move forward. 

My older sister sister Toni gave birth to a baby girl, Zoe Fern yesterday!  She is healthy and I am so happy for the whole family.  Jens' sister has 2 girls, we have 2 girls and now Toni has a girl too!  Think how much fun they are all going to have when they get together.  I suppose it is these fantasies that are getting me through this. 

While I was holding Emilia yesterday it gave a lot of time to think about everything (Jens went home and came back to pick me up).  I think I am still in shock and I cannot stop thinking about how my body failed them.  Now I need to watch the nurses sticking needles in their tiny arms, see them be pumped full of antibiotics (that I know are stinging their little veins) and I just want to take them home and make it all stop.

Me and Jens are going to start fixing up the garden so they have somewhere lovely to play when they come home.  I am going to start writing the blog in the morning from now on as we are going to be getting back late everyday. All being well, us holding Emilia is going to be a daily thing :)

Update

We have left our beautiful babies at the hospital stable and doing well.  Today they are two weeks old and to celebrate we have bought a breast pump ;)  It is much smaller than the beast I hired from the hospital and even has a bra attachment so I can pump on the go! haha - apparently this is very popular in the USA as the women need to go back to work straight away.  Lucky for me I am going to be off work for a year and a half although I may try it out in a night club sometime soon ;)

Unfortunately we didn't get to hold them today.  Emilia went back onto the cpap machine about 3 hours ago and is handling it well, but it will take her a while to fully adjust to it.  We should be able to hold her tomorrow.  Eva had to go back onto her respirator this morning which is normal for babies as tiny as ours.  She had been doing well, but she just got too tired to handle it.  Her x-ray didn't show any problems so that was good news.

 

Update

Everything is looking good for Emilia and Eva.  We were only there for a few hours today but we got to see Emilia open her eye again.  Very cute!  We tried to get a picture but every time we brought the camera out she closed it again, hehe!

Eva had to have an x-ray on her tummy today as when they removed air from her stomach there was blood in it.  She was tested for an infection which came back negative and the x-ray did not show any problems.  So she will not be given any milk until tomorrow and then they will x-ray her again and test for an infection.  Our Dr was not worried and thought it was most likely irritation from removing the gas, which is easily treated.

Me and Jens have been very productive today.  I am feeling pretty tired though and spent most of yesterday in bed.  My Shingles patch is hurting, much more now I know what it is!

We should be able to hold our daughters tomorrow, a perfect way to celebrate them being two weeks old :)

Update

Emilia and Eva are stable and doing well, however that roller coaster that we have been warned repeatedly about took a nose dive today!

A few days after I gave birth to the twins I got a heat rash on my back, which after a couple of days was still there.  Me, Jens and everyone I showed it to thought it was a form of eczema that had come with the stress of everything.  We went to the chemist and asked if there was anything they could recommend and they gave me some cream.  On Staurday I found a lump in my neck which freaked me out, so first thing this morning I went to the Dr.  She diagnosed me with Shingles (bältros).  She phoned the infections department at the hospital to find out whether I could have contact with the twins.  The Dr there told me to come in as soon as possible so they could take a test to confirm that I had Shingles.

Unfortunately they were unable to do any tests as you need to have water from the blisters.  The weird thing is that I have never had any blisters.  The Dr confirmed that as the rash is dry and starting to heal that I am not contagious, so we have been waiting at home to find out when we can see our babies again.

Eva and Emilia's Dr just called.  As I am no longer contagious we may go and visit them today.  As a precautionary measure they have been given medicine against Chicken Pox.  This takes 2 days to work and therefore we are not allowed to take them out again during this time.  The main thing is that the girls don't get sick and it is looking like they are going to be ok (my nerves are shot but nothing new there!).

Update

We have just got home after a lovely meal with Grandma and Grandad Lindqvist armed with a cooler bag full of ready made meals to take to the hospital next week!  YUMMY!  They got to see their Granddaughters for the second time today and I felt very proud showing off my beautiful baby girls who are doing so well.

There is so much good news that it is hard to know where to begin :) 

Eva and Emilia both had heart scans today which showed 2 closed ductus valves!  So as it stands neither of them need the operation (we are never allowed to be too happy and have been informed that they could open again - but for now we are ecstatic about the news).

Emilia is still on her respirator.  Her lungs are still not mature enough to change machines.  So she is just chilling out and maturing without having to worry about breathing.  She is now getting 2ml of milk per feed and her blood pressure has stabilised.  We spent a lot of time with her today, holding her gorgeous little hand and reading to her.  I got to be more involved in taking care of her today and got to turn her over.  The best news though is that we saw her open one of her eyes!  It was so amazing :)  There is a big chance that I will be able to hold her tomorrow.

As I got to do with her little twin sister Eva today :) :) :) :)  I had my baby girl on my chest for over 2 hours :).  The small movements she made were exactly how she felt inside me and it was so beautiful and just what I needed.  We even dozed off together.  She was so warm and lovely and perfect. Her blood pressure has stabilised and she is no longer getting blood pressure medicine, which means that she is fixing it all by herself. 

The plan for tomorrow is that Emilia will lie on me and Eva will lie on Jens, side by side.  We cannot wait :)

Update

Today has been a positive day and we have spent most of it at the hospital.  Emilia and Eva are stable and doing well.

Eva is now breathing on the Cpap machine which is real progress.  When they made the switch we got to see her little nose for the first time and it was super cute :).  They are waiting until tomorrow with Emilia so fingers crossed that she handles it as well.  There was no mention of the ductus (there was so much happening all day that we didn't think about it) but I don't think she would have been able to come off her respirator if it wasn't closed enough.  I will check tomorrow.

Emilia looked really well and just before we left she held both of our fingers, it was amazing. 

Update

Both of my baby girls are stable and doing well. Eva weighs 730g and is still eating 10ml per feed.  Emilia has recovered well from her operation and her little cheeks even had a rosy glow :).  She has started to get milk, 1ml every 3 hours, so fingers crossed all goes well.  Her tummy felt soft and the operation seems to have been a success.

I am really happy that everything is going well but for the first time I felt really affected by the environment they are both in.  There are now 3 more babies in the same room, all of which are receiving intensive care.  So there is more noise in the room and it just feels more stressful.  Both Emilia and Eva are having a little bit of trouble regulating their blood pressure and so they are getting extra blood and plasma etc.  This means that they now have small needles into their wrists and that breaks my heart to see.  They can't move their hands in the same way anymore.  I just wish I could put them back in my stomach where all their needs were taken care of in a lovely and relaxing way.  I need to just reassure myself that they aren't going to remember any of this.  The nurse told me that they are comfortable. Emilia has a free hand and she always has that close to her face.  The nurse said that was a sign that she was comforting herself.  I hope she is right.  I am so grateful that their little lives are being saved everyday and that is what I am going to try and focus on.

On a more positive note, Eva's ductus had closed a little bit more and it is looking like she is not going to need the operation :).  We spoke to the Dr before we left today and he said that both of them are going to come off their respirators over the weekend and onto the CPap machine.  The same machine Emilia was on before she got sick.  So fingers crossed they can handle it as it will mean that we can start to hold them.  I have never wanted anything more in my life.

Update

Both Emilia and Eva are stable and doing well.  They have both had x-rays on their lungs and everything looked good.

Eva is now getting 10 ml of milk of every 3 hours which is great news (I am producing 100ml per pump :)).  She is having no problems pooing (takes after her mother!) which is a good sign and indicates that she will not need to have the same operation on the small intestine.

Emilia has just been resting since her operation and she didn't get any milk today.  I am sure she will start eating again soon.  She was as cute as ever!

Eva's ductus had closed a little bit more and a decision will be made tomorrow about whether or not she needs the operation.

I read 2 stories to my daughters today and they seemed to like them.  It felt good to do something active and I will be doing it every day.  Grandma and Grandad will be buying lots of books at the car boot on Sunday for their Granddaughters :).

Me and Jens have felt really good today and managed to get a good nights sleep.

Update

Today has been the hardest day of our lives.  We got a phone call in the night telling us that Emilia had been put back onto her respirator and that her tummy was tense.  I called them in the morning and got the news that they had done an x-ray that showed problems with her small intestine.

At 12.45 Emilia had her first operation.  A piece of her intestine had a hole in it and because of this they have cut away about 15 cm of it.  As a temporary solution she will have a bag for her waste until she is big enough for her small intestine to be sewn back together.  This should have no effect on her future life if all goes to plan.

Our Dr is very straight forward and speaks cold hard facts which we appreciate.   The operation went well and we have left our beautiful baby girl stable at the hospital.

Eva's ductus valve has closed a little bit more but is still not fully closed.  We may find out tomorrow if she will need to have the operation.

In 2 hours we will have reached the one week mark.  After a day like today it is hard to think about celebrating but we will try.  Eva is now 640 g and Emilia 605 g.  Every day we have them is a blessing.

It has been an exhausting day and we are going to spend the evening relaxing.

Update

Emilia (605 g): She is doing well and has managed to stay off her respirator.  She has needed a bit of help now and then but that is to be expected.  They checked her for an infection and saw that she had started to get one.  They have managed to catch it early and have put her on a course of antibiotics.  Depending on what happens with the infection she may need to go back on the respirator.

We looked after her just before we left today, changed her nappy etc!  We told her all about the cabin and she was making little piglet noises.  It was the cutest and sweetest thing I have ever heard.

Eva (they did not weigh her): When we arrived today they were re-fitting her breathing tube which is the reason they did not weigh her (so she could rest).  They moved it half a cm and she feels better for it.  Her ductus valve had closed a little bit more so there is still no decision about whether she needs the operation or not.  Fingers crossed it is closed tomorrow.

Eva was also tested for an infection, and she tested negative.  The Dr felt thought that something could be on its way so as a precautionary measure she has been given the same antibiotics as Emilia. 

We are both feeling positive and looking forward to reaching the 1 week mark tomorrow!

The story so far!

Well, where to start!  It has easily been the craziest days of our lives and as you can imagine there are lots of people out there wanting to know how tiny Emilia and Eva are getting on.  So I thought that a blog would be a really easy way to get updates out to everyone.

Saturday 23rd July
I woke up at 0700 with strong period pains and then I started to bleed.  Jens drove me straight to the hospital where I was examined and then taken directly to the special labor ward.  I was given a cortezone shot and after finding an infection in my blood, put on an antibiotic drip.  The shot was to improve the lung functions of the babies.  At this time I was 23 plus 3 weeks pregnant.  I was told repeatedly that every hour they stayed inside me was so important and I was placed on total bed rest.  I was bleeding and getting contractions.  I was open 2cm and Emilias sack was lodged into the opening.

Sunday 24th July
I managed to get some sleep and was given the second cortezone shot.  The antibiotics were a 3 day course and really hurt my veins going in.  At this point I was more scared about getting the next treatment (each one took an hour to go in and I got them every 6 hours) than giving birth!!  I was still getting contractions but milder.

Monday 25th July
I got a scan in the morning and I was still open 2 cm, getting contractions and bleeding.

Wednesday 27th July
Midnight (at the start of the magical 24th week) - My waters broke.  We were taken back to the special labor ward and I was open 6 cm.  A scan showed it was only Emilias sack that had broken, Eva was unaware of any of this (lucky her!).  Then nothing happened, we both managed to sleep.

15.00 - I went to the toilet and when I wiped I felt something between my legs.  It turned out to be Emilia's fingertips.  My baby girl wanted out!

16.30 - I was induced.  Words cannot express the pain of giving birth so I won't even try.

19.11 - Emilia was born bum first (535 g)

19.16 - Eva was born (570 g), still in her sack (she still had no idea that any of this is going on).  Jens saw them open her sack and take her out.  AMAZING!

The placenta came out at the same time and it had joined together.  Emilia's side was yellow from the infection.  We do not know the cause of the infection, but we do know that is the reason why our baby girls were born at only 24 weeks old.

Even though it was a really tough 5 days, it wasn't all doom and gloom and there were times when me and Jens were scared that I would start giving birth because we were laughing so much.  We played cards, talked, cried and laughed together.  I suppose we just thought that the infection would go and it would all be ok.  Jens slept at the hospital when I wanted him to and helped me go to the toilet, get out of bed, anything I asked him to.  To say he has seen me at my worst is an understatement!

He was and is my rock!

After the birth, our daughters were immediately taken care of in the room next door and were given intensive care.  They were brought into us and we were able to touch them.  They were then taken up to the Neonatal ward 316 and placed into incubators.

From the beginning Emilia and Eva have been stable and so far there have been no major incidents with either of them.  They are real fighters.

Emilia - Current weight 590 g
She started to breathe unaided yesterday which is real progress.  Her ductus (a valve in her heart) had closed by itself which means that she will not have to have an operation.  We are able to change her nappy, take her temperature, look after her mouth (we put lip balm on her) and give her milk via a pipette.  To bond with her, we can put our hands over her.  We saw her smile yesterday for the first time.

Eva - Current weight 615 g
Unfortunately Eva's ductus was still open, but had started to close yesterday, so fingers crossed that she won't need the operation.  Eva feels like a little warm peach!   We are able to change her nappy, take her temperature, look after her mouth (we put lip balm on her) and give her milk via a pipette.  To bond with her, we can put our hands over her.

Our daughters are in one of the leading hospitals in the world for premature babies.  They each are assigned their own nurse 24 hours a day and everything is monitored.  We feel that they could not be in better hands.  But we have been warned that this is a real roller coaster ride.  Should they need operations then everything is there at the hospital and they will not need to be transported anywhere.  We can just hope that Emilia and Eva will be able to deal with everything that life throws at them 

I have started pumping milk and am satisfying their demand (which increases everyday!!).  It feels good that there is something we can do to help them.  Even though there is a lot of equipment surrounding them, we don't even see it.  They are just so small, cute and amazing.  We never knew that we could love something so much.

There are people all over the world rooting for them, from Canada to Australia!  Thank you, we know that everything helps.  So, we will keep everybody updated via this blog from now on.  Love to you all!

Paula & Jens