A Double Delight

Cannonvale Twins Come Home

After 37 days at Townsville Hospital, twins Owen and Evan have finally made it home to Cannonvale with their proud parents and excited older brother.

The boys arrived at just 32 weeks and were kept in the Special Care Nursery while they reached a healthy size.

It had been an intense pregnancy for mum Louise (Lou) Grice who was diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome early on.

This meant the babies shared unequal amounts of the placenta’s blood, restricting the growth of one baby.

To solve the issue, Lou needed to endure an operation at 18 weeks so that the blood vessels that run from one twin to the other could be separated.

Lou says the whole journey for her and her husband Matty has been a rollercoaster - the initial news that she was carrying twins was the biggest surprise of them all.

“There are no twins in the family, so it was very much a shock for us,” Louise said.

“I told Mathew he didn’t need to be at the scan as we had already gone down this road with our first son, Cameron.

“I couldn’t believe it when they told me it was twins and when I told Mathew his jaw dropped, and his face screwed up, but I could see he was smiling.”

Lou’s membranes ruptured on February 9, and she was swiftly moved from Proserpine to Townsville where she spent a week in hospital.

A long wait ensued, and the boys were finally born 15 days later.

Lou went into labour at 11.30pm which meant that the twins were born minutes apart yet managed to cross over two dates and will forever have different birthdays.

Evan was born at 11.56pm on 24 February and Owen at 12.02am on 25 February.

Lou said being the mum of multiples was ‘surreal’.

“The first time they were both put on me, it felt like a bit of a glitch in the matrix to look at both of them at the same time,” she said.

“You’re wired to just look at one.”

Now that she has returned to earth and is happily ensconced in the baby bubble of newborn family life, Lou says that the daily routine is hectic but fulfilling.

“Matty and I are often like a highly synchronised team swapping babies to feed, nappy change and play with,” said Lou.

“Everything takes a little longer than with one newborn so we just allow a little more time when getting out and about.

“The twins are quite the attraction when we head to the shops and have been stopped many times now in the few trips we've made out.”

Lou and Matty would like to thank everyone who has been involved with the safe delivery of their precious twins.

“The medical team who took care of us were incredible, from our GP at 121 Medical here at home, to both the pre and postnatal teams at Townsville Hospital as well as the specialists in Brisbane,” said Lou.

“And especially the midwives and nurses after birth who provided essential care in the first few weeks of their life, we learned so much from each of them and each had a unique piece of information we have taken home with us to help the transition to home life.”

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Lou Grice with her newborn twins, Evan and Owen

After 37 days at Townsville Hospital the twins returned home last week

Big brother Cameron holds his baby brother.

Photos supplied

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