Ailie and Sinead

Born premature at only 28-weeks, twins Ailie and Sinead started life with many health challenges, but these babies proved that it’s okay to be small when you have a mighty health care team.

“We were shocked to find out that the babies were coming so early,” says Niall. “We were suddenly unsure how things would go and what we should expect for our family.”

First-time parents Niall and Jill were excited to be having twins. Jill had a good pregnancy with no complications until the start of the third trimester when she started to become very uncomfortable for several days. Worried about the health of their babies, Niall and Jill visited the hospital at 2:30 am on February 17, 2022. That’s where doctors quickly discovered the mom-to-be was already fully dilated and the babies were on their way. In a few hours, Ailie and Sinead were born.

“The twins were due in May, and we had been preparing in our mind that they might arrive in April,” says Niall. “It was a complete shock when they arrived in February.”

As soon as they were delivered, Ailie and Sinead were taken into the expert care of specialists at the HSC Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The girls’ lungs weren’t developed enough to allow breathing on their own, so they were intubated and then placed on a continuous positive airway pressure machine (CPAP), allowing consistent mild air pressure to keep the airways open. They remained on the machines for two months.

Both babies had patent ductus arteriosus, a condition in which two major blood vessels leading to the heart fail to close properly. Ailie also had an intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), internal bleeding in or around the ventricles of the brain containing spinal fluid. Sinead later contracted a staphylococcus aureus, a cluster of bacteria that causes serious infections and had to be placed on strong antibiotics for more than 2 weeks. The health care teams at HSC Children’s were determined to give the twins the best care possible throughout their 96-day long stay. Fortunately, all of these health concerns would resolve in the weeks and months ahead.

“This was an extremely scary time for us,” says Jill. “We knew all we could do was put our faith in the NICU team and give it time.”

Health care specialists helped the new parents deal with their worries and taught them how to care for their newborns. Ailie and Sinead received their nourishment through a feeding tube for the first month of their lives before they were strong enough to start slowly learning how to breastfeed. Niall and Jill credit the health care team’s family-centered approach, taking care of the babies as their own while looking out for the best interest of the parents.

“The staff in the NICU are incredible. They slowly ease you into parenthood by teaching you how to care for your preemies, as it is very different than caring for term babies,” says Jill.

In 2023, the family had to return to HSC Children’s. Ailie contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and needed to stay in hospital for another ten days.

“We once again had to rely on the experts to look after our daughter and knew from past experience she was in good hands,” says Niall.

Although Ailie continues to deal with some respiratory issues, Ailie and Sinead are now thriving and will celebrate their third birthday in February of 2025. They enjoy playgrounds, spending time with family and friends and wearing matching outfits wherever they go. The twins regularly visit HSC Children’s for checkups and will continue to do so as they grow, proving once again it’s okay to be small when you have a mighty health care team.

Niall and Jill are very grateful for the donors and believe every contribution makes life better for all children. They are especially grateful for every nurse, doctor and NICU health care team member at HSC Children’s who helped make their long stays at the hospital easier.

“We are extremely appreciative of everyone who contributes to HSC Children’s Hospital. The health and happiness of our family was enabled by your donations.”