Being pregnant with twins is like running a marathon. As the weeks go by, you check them off as a runner would with miles. 8 weeks. 16 weeks. 21 weeks. You know you’ll more than likely never make it to the 40-week finish line, instead finishing the race sooner — in some cases much sooner. All you can do is hope to get as many weeks under your belt as possible, since you never know when the race will end.
Imagine then the surprise, the utter shock and terror that Barry and Rachel Wardle must have felt when Rachel went into labor with their twins on December 16 at only 23 weeks gestation. Having been born on the borderline of viability, Claire and James were given only a 15 percent chance of survival by doctors. But the twins beat those odds, with Claire recently being released from Akron Children’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after a stay of 294 days. James had previously been released after 168 days.
“I can’t believe it’s finally here,” Barry said in an article on the Akron Children’s website. “I could go on and on about the things that didn’t look good. We were expecting to be here a year and she is going home at 10 months. Everything about them is … a miracle.”
Amid balloons and hugs, paperwork and smiles, the Wardles finally left the NICU for the last time on October 4 to make the hour drive home. Even after James was discharged, the family spent little time at home, packing the baby up each day to spend time with his sister Claire back at the NICU.
“Honestly, the best part of finally having both babies home is just being able to see them and hold them and kiss them whenever I want.”
Rachel says after the twins were born, she and her husband were advised to be as involved as possible with the babies — advice she says she would pass on to other new __parents in similar circumstances. “Even if all you can do is sit there and hold their hand or read them a book, they feel your presence,” she said. “Do anything you can to interact, even if it’s just diaper changes through the portholes of the isolette … We stayed very involved, and I truly believe it helped them heal.”
Caring for preemie twins is anything but easy, but Claire came home with a ventilator and a tracheostomy and must be monitored around the clock, making things even more challenging. In spite of this, Rachel remains grateful.
And though the Wardles are overjoyed at finally being at home with their bundles of joy, the change is bittersweet as well. Inevitably, after having spent so much time in the NICU, the family developed a special bond with the hospital staff. “We had a life-changing experience there and plan on staying involved in hospital activities and events, and also being available for other families that may have questions or need guidance,” Rachel said.
Claire and James’ story is proof of the strength they already possess at such a young age, and their parents’ dedication is a testament to their strength as well. “It’s not always easy, but have faith,” said Rachel. “Things can change for these babies day by day, or even minute by minute. No matter what is happening, just try to stay positive and have faith. Miracles happen every day. Just because the odds are stacked against them doesn’t mean they can’t overcome it.”
As a parent of preemie twins who spent time in the NICU, I can attest to the power of stories like these. When your babies are born early, you are flooded with a deluge of emotions. You are elated and terrified. Full of joy and doubt. You just want to have your babies near you, to see for yourself that they are okay and well cared for. Having to turn them over to the care of strangers feels impossible. Success stories and the kindness of others are like gold in their worth. Somehow you make it through, and you come out the other side a changed person with a new perspective. Thanks to stories like that of Claire and James, as well as the NICU doctors and nurses who tirelessly care for the most fragile of lives, future NICU __parents can have a beacon of hope in a dark night.