“I was wheeled upstairs to see my girls. We had to press a buzzer and be let in. Our babes were locked away, for their own protection and privacy I guess. I was wheeled around a corner and met with incubators lining a hallway, ready and waiting for the next unfortunate little ones. Around another corner and a notice board with pictures of graduates, how nice.

Through another doorway and the hand washing routine began. In time the harsh soap would sting, dry and crack the skin on my hands. A very small price to pay to see my precious girls who I wished I could take home.
What a strange place. Like nowhere I had ever been or heard of before. Incubators with tiny babies inside, monitors beeping, nurses holding syringes full of milk in the air, big oven-like blanket warmers, mothers holding babies connected to all kinds of machines, mothers weeping, and I was one of them.

Through tears I looked at my 2 incubators. Inside, 2 tiny baby girls laying on their tummies inside a little nest of blankets. So tiny I thought, and they were a good size for 32wk twins I was told. How sick I thought, and they didn’t even need O2 or IV lines. I was soon to learn more about prematurity, that my girls were lucky to be so big and healthy, for prems anyway.
I loved them before they were born, but to see them here, I fell in love all over again. As scrawny as they were, with no bums, bruised, leads everywhere, NG tubes taped to their faces, they were mine, they were here and I would love and protect them with all that I had.”

Lea’s twin girls weighed just 1915grams and 1840 grams – a combined birth weight of 3755grams (8lb 2oz) less than the birth weight of their older brother who was 3991grams (8lb8oz)

Lea reperesents NNICUPS in New South Wales

Contact Lea on 0414 649677 lea@prembaby.org.au

National Premmie Foundation Group Members:

PIPA www.pipa.org.au
NNICUPS www.prematurebabes.org
Loddon Mallee Kids www.lmk.org.au
Lifes Little Treasures www.lifeslittletreasures.org.au
Little Wonders www.littlewonders.org.au
 Central Coast Prems www.centralcoastprems.com