Two Little Princes.

by Nicole Vallejo
(Illinois)

Kaiden and Connor at 9 weeks.

My name is Nikki. I am 22 and this is my twin story...

I started my family a bit early. I had my first daughter when I was 18. My husband and I wanted more children, but wanted to wait until our daughter was three or so. We bought a house and got everything on track and we decided we might wait a bit longer to get pregnant. So, I stayed on the pill. I found out 6 weeks after my 21st birthday that I was pregnant.

I knew exactly when it happened. I started feeling really sick early on. I was tired and sore and just didnt feel well. My birthday was on February 8th and I remeber being really sick on Valentine's Day. I went to the OB and told her she needed to check for two heart beats because twins run in my family and I had a feeling it was twins. She checked and only found one.

I switched doctors at 12 weeks. I started feeling movement at 14 weeks and asked the doctor to check again. She did the ultrasound and said "Yep, you were right. It's twins." My husband and I were prepared for it so it wasn't too much of a shock. She also told me she couldn't see a membrane in between and that I would have to see a specialist.

I saw the specialist and they did find the membrane, but only saw one placenta and told me what I figured which is they are identical. I had to have an ultra sound every two weeks to check growth to make sure there was no twin-to-twin transfusion. My smaller son also had a two vessel cord and they wanted to make sure he was growing well. I also saw my doctor every two weeks.

My pregnancy progressed perfectly. I was anemic so I was tired and had very little energy but I was still able to work and do everything I needed to.

Around 25 weeks the doctor told me I would have to deliver at 36 weeks because there were too many risks in carrying them too much further because of the twin-to-twin and the two vessel cord. Both boys were growing well but they didn't want to chance it.

At 35 weeks I was still doing well (I was never put on bedrest, thank goodness). My doctor scheduled my c-section. I was prepared for it because one was breech, but was heart broken because I really wanted a natural delivery.

At 36 weeks and two days (October 8th) I had my boys. I was terrified but they started screaming as soon as they came out and I was so happy that they seemed okay. Kaiden was born at 12:46, 4 lbs 13 oz and 18 1/2 inches long. Connor was born at 12:47 6 lbs and 18 1/2 inches.

After my recovery I learned both boys had low blood sugar and Connor was breathing too fast. I got to hold each of them for two minutes before they took them away. I was so upset. I had a brother die of SIDS and all I could think of was him.

I was bleeding too bad after my surgery and I wasn't allowed to get up, which meant I couldn't see either of my boys. Around 10:00 PM that night they finally brought Kaiden to me. He got to stay with me, but Connor was still breathing too hard and had been put under an oxygen hood, a tube down his throat, as well as an IV. I had been prepared for them to be in the NICU. I knew the risks, but I had been prepared for it to be Kaiden. I had never thought to worry about Connor who was growing so well and moving all the time.

I finally got to see him at noon the next day. I coldn't stop crying. I couldn't touch him because he would get too agitated and they wouldn't feed him a bottle because they didn't want him to choke. If I came in and talked to him he would get upset looking for me and make it worse so I had to limit how much I could see him. After X-rays and blood tests the doctor said he had premature lung disease and he would have to just grow out of it and it should only take a couple of days. After three days and no improvement, the doctor said it may take a while and he wasn't following the "normal curve".

After four days, Kaiden and I got to come home but Connor stayed. I think because I was prepared for it and knew there was a chance neither of them could come home it wasn't as hard, but I still wanted connor to be home with me. I kept telling myself, he just wanted me to be able to get used to another baby before he came home. If I hadn't prepared myself for the chance that I could come home alone I think I wouldn't have been able to function with Connor gone.

They started feeding Connor through a tube when he was six days old. At seven days the nurse said he was off of the oxygen hood and I could finally hold him. That was the best day of my life. My other two were so healthy and I wasn't so scared of losing them, but with Connor I didn't know. At ten days Connor finally got to come home.

At five months you wouldn't know that my boys were preemies. Both are exceptionally healthy and happy. They are both in the 20th to 40th percentile for height and weight but are hitting every milestone early.

I wasn't ready for more children, but my boys are so special to me. Concieved on my birthday and born on their father's. Healthy and happy and I couldn't ask for better children.



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