Episode 10: Navigating love and loss in the NICU with 23 week twins.
Ashley and Tim were expecting twins and the pregnancy was uncomplicated until 23 weeks when Ashley went into labor secondary to a placental abruption. Liam was born weighing 1lb 6 oz, and Wyatt was 1lb 8 oz.
As NICU physicians, we know that babies born at 23 weeks can face a multitude of issues, many life-threatening, and Liam and Wyatt experienced many of those complications. Liam and Wyatt fought pulmonary hemorrhages, intestinal perforations, infections/sepsis, and complications from central lines. Unfortunately, Wyatt passed away during the first several weeks in the NICU. Moving forward with the remainder of Liam’s NICU stay he fought complications with retinopathy of prematurity, aspiration pneumonia, and ultimately needed a G-tube.
Ashley and Time courageously talk about their NICU experience and balancing love and loss in the NICU. Feeling split loyalty between grieving for Wyatt and celebrating Liam turned out to be one of the most difficult aspects of their NICU stay.
Since this was recorded just before Father’s Day, we talk a little bit about Dad’s role in the NICU as well.