In November 2018, my husband and I found out we were pregnant with TWINS! It was my third pregnancy; we had two beautiful daughters aged six and four at the time. They were full-term, healthy baby girls born naturally with no health concerns. We were beyond blessed and couldn’t wait to welcome our two new additions! In March 2019, we found out we had a baby girl (twin A) and a baby boy (twin B) due August 2019. YAY!
On April 14, 2019, my body went into pre-term labour 17 weeks early. By the time we arrived at the hospital and got checked out, my cervix was eight centimeters dilated. Within the hour, our 23 week 4 day gestation twins were born, and our NICU journey began.
We named our 1 lb 9oz girl Fallon and our 1 lb 11 oz boy Gordon. They were the strongest, most fragile babies I’d ever laid eyes on. We started out at the Stollery NICU at the Royal Alexandra Hospital where we learned a little bit about what the next few months might look like for us. The staff was extremely kind, supportive, and God bless those nurses - they answered all our questions and helped with anything we seemed to need. Those first few days were a blur. I don’t think I realized how serious our situation was until our first family meeting where we learned some of the hurdles these precious micro-preemies would have to overcome
We were also faced with just how sick our baby Gordon was. We lost him the next day, April 17th 2019. The staff did anything and everything to try and help us get through. At a time when all we wanted to do was curl up in a ball and mourn our sweet boy, we still had our little fighter Fallon whose health was still proving to be stable. We were able to hold Fallon for the first time on April 18th, and somehow I could feel both my babies in my arms that day. I knew Gordon was there, protecting his sister, and no matter what got in Fallon’s way, she would beat the odds, and we were going to take her home one day.
Not more then a week later, Fallon was fighting a blood infection and her health worsened. She got necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and on May 6 was rushed to the David Schiff NICU at the Stollery Children’s Hospital for surgical intervention. She had one procedure immediately and another surgery within the week. We never made it back to RAH as Fallon continued needing surgeries so the Stollery Children’s Hospital NICU was the suitable location for her.
It was a very traumatizing next few months there; it seemed every day brought a new challenge for Fallon. We had so many worries but one thing we always knew was our girl was getting the best care in the world and that gave us some peace of mind. Her doctors absolutely amazed us and her entire care team was dedicated to giving Fallon the best chance possible. She had five surgeries during her stay in the David Schiff NICU and spent 160 days total in hospital, but on a beautiful October day, we brought our thriving, smiling ex-23 weeker baby girl home.
Fallon and Gordon opened our eyes to a whole new world we never knew existed, the NICU world, and we will never forget the incredible people there and the miracles they helped create.
Katie Patriquin – Fallon & Gordon's mom
