Amanda Thomas, 34, gave birth to twins Harper and Gunner, now one, almost three months ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇʟʏ at Monmouth medical center in New Jersey on 18 December 2019. Harper and Gunner were born almost three month ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇʟʏ in December, 2019. “When I saw them for the first time they were all ʜᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ up on ᴡɪʀᴇs and ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇs. (Harper) wasn’t growing or feeding properly so they thought it was something ᴡʀᴏɴɢ with her ɪɴᴛᴇsᴛɪɴᴇs. Instead they found she had a hole in her heart and she had to have sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ. It was ᴛᴇʀʀɪFʏɪɴɢ, I just wanted them to survive.” Amanda said
Harper was taken to Columbia Hospital, New York, US, to have the hole sᴛɪᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ. The pair spent weeks fighting for their lives in separate hospital but their health gradually improved. And when they were nearly a month old, their mom was able to cudde the newborns for the first time. The twins were reunited on January 12 and reached out to clutch each other’s hands as they were cradled by Amanda. Amanda, a primary special education teacher from New Jersey, US, described them as “fighters”. “That moment when they held hands was the moment it hit me that I had twins. It was the first time I was able to hold them both at the same time. When they went to hold hands, I realized these two have such a special bond and even a month apart from each other didn’t make them forget that bond. I knew they would pull each other through.”
Gunner was discharged on February 19 – a day before their original due date – but Harper had wasn’t able to go home until March 30, after spending 103 days in hospital and bҽing fitted with a ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴏʀᴀʀʏ feeding ᴛᴜʙᴇ. “I was so glad to have him home but at the same time it was ʜᴏʀʀɪʙʟe that Harper was still in hospital,” Amanda said.
The twins are now thriving and get on famously with each other, according to their mom. “Harper especially went through a hard time and I am so grateful that they are both home and safe. Their little personalities are now shining through. Harper is so sassy and Gunner is laid back – they are perfect.” Amanda said.
Amanda and husband, Shawn, 36, a public works dirҽctor, had sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to conceive naturally so chose to try I.V.F and were ecstatic when they found out they were expecting twins after their first round having spent nearly thousands of dollars to do it. “It was all we ever wanted,” Amanda said.
The pregnancy was going well until Amanda felt unwell at 27 weeks. She was told by doctors at Monmouth medical center that she had high ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ and they needed to keep her in for ᴏʙseʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. “I was miserable, and I just wanted my babies to be ok,” she said.
At 30 weeks Amanda’s waters ʙʀᴏᴋᴇ and she had to be taken for a ᴄ-section to deliver the babies on 18th December 2019. More than one year on, the twins are “doing amazingly”, according to their mom. “They are a little delayed and have speech and physical ᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏ but they are incredible, they are our little miracles.”Amanda said
