The 20-Week Checkup

When Lauren and her husband found out they were pregnant with twins, they just started laughing. They were laughing because they didn’t know what to say or do. Having twins was never something they expected, but they were excited their family was growing.

Everything was going fine until they hit 20 weeks. At an ultrasound they discovered complications, and Lauren had to have surgery the next day. She was overwhelmed with the fear of losing the babies and felt helpless. Her surgery went well and she was prescribed bed rest until the 36-week mark, when they had scheduled a C-section. The staff at The University of Tennessee Medical Center gave Lauren comfort during this difficult time.

“The staff was extremely helpful and honest. It felt comforting even though the things they were telling me were very hard to hear, but we needed to hear it and needed to know what was happening so we could do our part. They made us feel empowered as parents and encouraged us. We felt like we had a team surrounding us.”

First Days in the NICU

Lauren’s babies were sent to the NICU immediately after birth. She says that not getting to see them was one of the hardest parts for her even though she had been expecting it her whole pregnancy. Lauren appreciated the nurses understanding when she saw her babies for the first time.

“The nurses were the first ones to feed them, the first ones to change their diapers, the first ones to give them a bath. We missed out on that. And we’re OK with that because we knew they were in such good hands. The nurses were treating and loving them like we would have.”

Lauren says she loved the fact that the NICU was on the same floor as Labor and Delivery because she knew that her babies weren’t going to have to be airlifted to another hospital and they would be right down the hall from her. It was close enough that she could walk even after just having a C-section.

Family-Friendly Drape

Lauren chose to use a family-friendly drape during her C-section. This drape has a window that allows the parents to actually watch the babies being born. Lauren says using the drape was one of her favorite parts of her delivery.

“For me, it made it seem less like a major operation and more like another special way to have a baby. And it made us feel more included in the delivery. It made me feel like a part of it. I got to watch the doctors pull them up and hear their first cries.”

A Complete Family

Lauren says bringing the twins home made their family feel complete. She’ll never forget the 37-week journey in the medical center and the staff she now considers family. “We’re so thankful that they’re with us. We look at them every day and we’re just so thankful for what could have been but wasn’t thanks to the staff at UT Medical Center and how well they took care of us.”