A Babies Story: A 34 and 79 Day Hospital Stay

Last updated on February 27th, 2024 at 06:05 pm

We all have stories of how we saw our families in the future. This is our story; the Mead family from Raleigh, North Carolina. It’s a story of 34 days on hospital bed rest with twin boys followed by those boys’ first 79 days in hospital nurseries. You may have similarities in your family’s story, or our stories may be completely different. Either way, you’re welcome to read along for the ride.

The morning of Monday June 29, 2015 started as just another day. Being 24 weeks pregnant with fraternal twin boys and ready for work, I decided at the last minute that I better use the ladies room…again. It was a blessing I did, because that’s when it all started. I spotted something that no expectant mommy wants to see. You know. Before the immediate call to my obstetrician’s nurse line, I stopped right where I was (not the most flattering place), and prayed. My husband and I trust in the Lord on a day to day basis, so this moment of worry was no different. Next, I calmly called the nurse line, who replied I should come in that morning; in a nice way she meant, “Come in now!”

Liza Mead and husband — Photo credit: Melinda Weaver

With my husband by my side at the doctors’ office, I was examined and we naturally nervously waited to hear the two heartbeats that we had become so accustom and excited to hear. We heard one. Then two. Praise the Lord. After confirmation the twins were well, it was determined I was dilated two inches and was having contractions ten minutes apart. But wait, we were at 24 weeks. We still had at least 12 weeks to go. They couldn’t be coming yet. But one of them was trying. We were officially in preterm labor. Next, thirty-six hours worth of a magnesium drip at the hospital to slow down the contractions.

We were planning to go home just two days after being admitted. Until Twin A decided to break his water. (Let me tell you other first time mommies; water breaking isn’t like the movies. It’s pretty anticlimactic really. There’s no “Oh, no, honey – my water broke!” into a big puddle. It’s more like, “Why can’t I control this liquid? And why is it still coming out eight hours later?”) The water breaking was what did it. Now, we were in for the long haul in the ante partum wing of Duke University Hospital. Hospital bed rest was the doctor’s order for this first time mommy.

Was this even possible? Who had ever heard of literally living in the hospital, in the bed, waiting for your babies to be born? What about their unfinished nursery? What about the dishes that were in the dishwasher at home? What about my job? What about the scheduled baby showers? We believe the Lord knew the answer to all these questions. Those now trivial things at home were so much less important compared to these precious babies’ health.

By this time, it was Thursday; what we now call day 4 of 34. The twins were continually monitored; I was hooked up to monitors twice a day to monitor their heartbeats and breathing. Twin A, who broke his water, was at risk for infection, so although I was required to stay in bed, I was allowed to get up use the restroom and take showers. As the five weeks progressed, we were literally thankful for each day (and in the moments of several scares, for each hour) that the twins stayed put. The team of high risk doctors’ goal was for the twins to get to 34 weeks (although full term for twins is 36 weeks) because at that point, they would be safer outside than inside.

At 29 weeks and 4 days, it happened. Twin A, the one who broke his water and initiated our hospital bed rest, poked his foot out. It was time for an emergency c-section. Within 15 minutes, as my husband waited in an empty hospital room all by himself for what probably seemed like days, the 2 pound 12 ounce and 2 pound 14 once twins boys were born 11 weeks premature. Now began our second hospital stay journey.

The healthy but very premature twins were directly admitted next door from the operating room to their ICN, infant care nursery. They were immediately put on devices to help them breathe, as they weren’t developed enough to breathe on their own. The next 79 days included visits from mommy every day and daddy almost every day since he works full time. We got a report each day from the twins’ team of doctors during ‘rounds’. This is all too familiar if you’ve been a NICU parent too. Some days were encouraging, others discouraging.

Both twins were healthy overall, but were simply doing the rest of their gestational growing that ideally would’ve been done in utero, in the outside world. Then, halfway through their hospital stay at 46 days, they were doing all they needed to on their own, except for drinking from a bottle. They were now out of the “critical” title, and had moved to be known as “feeders and growers”. That meant they got to move hospitals to a less critical nursery. This was a graduation of sorts. It was quite the process though. It involved each baby requiring their own entire ambulance to transport them less than ten miles to another Duke Hospital nursery. It was simply a matter of transporting them safely. We’ll tell them all about it.

After a total of 79 days, the twins were both ready to come home…and at the same time! But it wasn’t without several times of emotional rollercoaster rides of being told “yes”, then, “no”, then “yes” again, then “no” again. This mama’s heart was all over the place. Ultimately, we wanted them to be ready, safe, and healthy when they came home. On their homecoming on October 18, it seemed like we had been in another world having had two life-changing, unexpected, educational, and emotional hospital stays. Because of it all, we continue to give glory to God for all He allowed us as a family to go through and get through.

a-babies-story_a-34-and-79-day-hospital-stay — Photo credit: Nichole Rabon

Liza Mead is a stay-at-home-mama to fraternal twin boys and has a background in interior design and marketing, both of which she works in second to her favorite titles as Wife and Mommy. In Raleigh, North Carolina, when her twins are content or sleeping, she spends time organizing, being involved in church events, and event planning. She’s thankful for the blessing of each day’s new memories created.

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