Austin + Hudson

I am so excited to share the loves of my life with all of you!  After a pregnancy that can be described as nothing less than “the wildest ride in the wilderness,” these beautiful boys burst into my life and nothing has ever been the same (thank goodness).

They tell you parenthood will change your life but with twins, that change is truly multiplied.  We’re like a little traveling circus these days and we can’t go anywhere without stares, points, and the constant barrage of comments like “double trouble!” or “you’ve got your hands full!”  Let me tell you this – twins are more than twice the work but thankfully, the love is also multiplied exponentially.

Here are some quick facts about my little guys:

• They are identical twins meaning that they started from a single, perfect embryo that split within the first days after conception.
• While there are some twins in my family, identical twins are not genetic and are the result of a chance occurrence.
• Although I hate that people think it’s ok to ask questions about your reproductive healthy when you have twins, I do understand the curiosity.  No, we did not have IVF.  The egg splitting was completely spontaneous and was not the result of any scientific intervention.
• They are survivors of a terrible disease called Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS).  To learn more click here.  A heroic fetal surgery was required at 19 weeks to save our boys and the prognosis was potentially very grim.  Thankfully, the procedure was a complete success and they are happy and completely healthy today!
• Austin was “Baby A” and was born two minutes ahead of his brother at 4lbs 12oz.  He’s a comedian from the start and has the world’s most infectious laugh.
• Hudson, “Baby B” is truly our miracle.  He was given less than a 50% chance of survival and was born at only 3lbs 1oz.  This peanut is the bravest guy I know and has the great smile I’ve ever seen.
• They were not named for anyone or anything in particular.  We had a tough time coming up with two complimentary boys names that we liked but finally landed on these.  We fell in love with Hudson’s name first and needed something complimentary.  Once we decided on Austin, we decided “Baby A” should have the “A” name.
• The boys were born at 32 weeks (8 weeks premature) because Hudson wasn’t getting the resources he needed in-utero to keep growing.  He really got the raw end of the deal, right?
• We had a 5 week NICU stay after birth.  Thanks to an incredible medical team and lots of research on my part, we were able to prepare for their early arrival and I was able to receive two doses of steroids before their birth to help speed up the maturation of their lungs.  Hudson needed no breathing support after birth and was on just a low level of support during most of this first month.  Austin started out with a small amount of support from the CPAP machine but was quickly entirely without support and never looked back.  The NICU is not for the faint of heart but we couldn’t be where we are today without their expert care.

Have questions?  While I don’t love being stopped with questions in the aisle of target as I’m managing my three ring circus, I am more than happy to field them here.  Let me know what you would like to know by filling out the form below and it could be part of a future post!