Niamh’s two little miracle deliveries
Oisin was put in a turkey bag right away to help keep him warm Niamh and Dirk enjoying a day out in the park with their now healthy twins Oran and Oisin was in days.”
The twins had another battle to bear.
Niamh said: “They were both born with holes in the heart where cavity walls hadn’t closed properly, thankfully both of them for 89 healed with ibuprofen. Initially Oisin had to see a cardiologist though as the hole in his heart didn’t heal right away and they thought he’d need surgery.”
Now, four years on, the boys are thriving and in in preschool, although developmentally Oisin is a bit behind.
Niamh explained how once her babies were born alive anything else could be mended.
She said: “Everything is fixable, once they were born alive, it’s like being in a spaceship and I remember Mum Niamh with Oisin and dad Dirk with brother Oran one of the ICU nurses told me
I should really make a sound recording of the noises and the lights and the constant motion going on in here.
“Because it’s alien and it’s so warm in there, it needs to be warm.
“You’re definitely removed from reality and you’re on your own personal journey and you sign off from being yourself.
“You just want to be present and listen to every single breath they breathe.
“I was an emotional wreck, I thought I was being really strong at the time but this nurse would come up and give me a hug and tell me I was ok.
“Now my boys are four and they’re superheroes, both alive and kicking, they’re a handful. They still have scars from all the IVS a constant reminder of what they went through and they are constantly in physiotherapy, speech therapy but they’re alive and kicking.”
■ For more on world prematurity month see waterwipes.ie and nmh.ie.