What A Difference A Week Makes!

My first set of twins, Emma & Robin were born on October 17, 2008 at 34-weeks gestation (4 lbs. 5 oz. & 4 lbs. 7 oz.). The were in the NICU for a few weeks and spent some time at a local hospital's "Level 2" nursery before they came home. They were teeny, tiny tater tots who went to the pediatrician every week, then every two weeks and then every month once they hit 8-months old. Along with being small, the girls were behind on their developmental milestones (as was expected), had congenital torticollis (which resulted in plagiocephly and brachycephaly and them wearing helmets) and also a few other issues here and there.They rolled over late, sat up late, crawled late and walked late...the only thing they did on time was talk, and the only thing they did early was sleep well (ha). They weren't sick, but their care was more than most newborns/infants, which is to be expected with preemies and twins. At 22-months my girls are still relatively small. but are on the growth charts at the 12th & 25th percentiles for weight (yay).  For a visual reference, they are in 18-month size, which swim on Emma but kinda fit Robin. They have pretty much caught up developmentally (Emma has some "sensory issues" and Robin has some fine motor developmental delays), and most likely won't re-qualify for Early Intervention when they're re-evaluated in the late-fall. Both girls have been in EI since they were about 4-months old (we have the best OT and the girls absolutely love her), and they are doing great.

Flash forward to my second set of twins, Morgan & Ryan (g/b) who were born on March 24, 2010 at 35-weeks gestation (5 lbs. 3 oz. & 5 lbs. 9 oz.). Morgan was in the NICU for 2 days and was able to come home with me (although we had a tough time getting her to pass her car seat test). Ryan was very sick when he was born, his lungs were underdeveloped (typical for male preemies) and he was touch & go for a while. He was on a ventilator, had a chest tube, a heart murmur and also had a number of pneumothoraxes, but he pulled through with flying colors and was home with us after about 3-weeks. Morgan had 1 weight check and then was put on a "regular" pediatrician visit schedule, and Ryan had 2 additional visits after he was released and a few visits to the cardiologist before he was put on the regular schedule. Both have not had any additional health issues, other than congenital torticollis (no helmets this time) and are in the 25th & 50th percentiles for weight. The biggest difference is that they are hitting their developmental milestones right on track (either for birth-age or gestational age), and it's really interesting to see how far ahead they are compared to Emma & Robin at the same age. Ryan is a little mover and shaker, he rolls back and forth (from tummy to back and vice-versa) and just went from a supported sitter to sitting on his own for short periods (30-90 seconds)...this is crazy! Morgan is a little lazy (like her sister Robin was), but can roll if she really wants and sits very well supported. While, they are both in Early Intervention, it's for physical therapy related to their torticollis, as they didn't qualify in any other areas.

I have to say that the extra week gestating really made a huge difference in my second set of twins. Not only were they a pound larger, but they have had less health issues, have developed on track and are really doing remarkably well. Now I understand why my MFS OB/GYN for both sets (Dr. Hamar) really wanted me to cook them a little longer...those few days make a huge difference. While, I so freakin' miserable my second pregnancy, I'm happy we were able to wait and welcome them when they did arrive. So my advice for all of the miserable, pregnant people (no, not everyone has a fabulous pregnancy, but I'll blog about that later) is to hold on for a few days/weeks longer...it really does matter!

Emma & Robin at 5 months old (size 3 month clothes)

Morgan & Ryan at 5 months old (size 6 months clothes)