November 17th is Preemie Awareness Day!

The photo above was taken nearly three years ago when our twins were almost 3 years old.  This coming January, they will be turning six.  I remember taking this photo and thinking how quickly the first three years had gone by and now I am amazed at how quickly the next 3 years have flown by.  Looking at them now, it is difficult to believe that our two kindergartners were born 9-1/2 weeks early.

Saturday, November 17th, is Preemie Awareness Day or World Prematurity Day.  With the increasing number of twins and other multiple births, RSV awareness (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) in regards to preemies is of growing importance.  In fact, 13 million babies are born premature around the world each year.  I have to admit that I knew little about RSV Protection until our twins spent 2-1/2 weeks in the NICU and then another 3 weeks in the Special Care Nursery during the months of January and February, which fall into the time labeled as "RSV season."

I had learned from the nurses in the NICU that there is no cure for RSV, which causes up to 10 times more infant deaths than the flu.  That is why we did not mind taking extra precautions to keep our preemies safe.  We always scrubbed and sanitized our hands and forearms thoroughly before going near our twins or anything that they may touch.  When my husband felt like his throat was scratchy, he refrained from visiting the twins in the NICU for 3 or 4 days until he was sure he was not sick.  He did this with their best interest in mind even though he missed them terribly.  Another preventative measure is to not allow anyone to smoke near your baby, which is something we would have done whether the twins were born early or not.

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Being educated about RSV and taking all the necessary precautions were completely worth it.  We have beautiful healthy boy-girl twins who will be turning 6 soon.

To learn more about RSV prevention, visit RSVPrevention.com and talk to your pediatrician.


I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Learn More About RSV Protection for Preemies

While I was pregnant with our now nearly 5 year old twins, I thought there could not be anything more stressful than my body growing twice as big and twice a quickly as with my previous pregnancy.  Then at around 29-1/2 weeks along, I was in the hospital on bed rest trying to keep the twins safe inside me for as long as possible.  I was positive that those few days were the most nerve-wracking worrisome ones of my life, since even just one more day in the womb would increase their chances of being born without serious complications.

After the twins were born 9-1/2 weeks early, that was when I knew the true meaning of the word stressful.  They spent 5 weeks in the NICU and a special care nursery.  For those 5 weeks we were worried daily that a complication would arise or that they just would not thrive.  We were so lucky that they did not suffer from any unusual complications and were, according to the doctors, "text-book preemies".  Here they are at just 2 days old . . .

What made the time after the twins were born so stressful was that my husband and I had to be super-careful about bringing anything harmful into the NICU.  We wore coverings over our clothes and scrubbed our hands thoroughly to help prevent Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV, which preemies are especially susceptible to because of their underdeveloped lungs.  There was even a period of several days when my husband could not visit our newborn twins in the NICU because we suspected he may have been coming down with a cold.

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According to RSVProtection.com, the best way to protect your baby from RSV is to wash your hands very thoroughly before touching him or her.  This goes for anyone who will be touching your baby.  In fact, when my own parents came to visit our twins in the NICU, we asked that they please not touch them even though they had taken all the precautions of washing their hands and covering their clothes.  I firmly believe you cannot worry about offending people when it comes to protecting your children.  It is also important to keep your preemie in your smoke-free home and away from crowds, other children, and anyone who may be sick.  Regular cleaning of your baby's clothing, toys, and crib linens is also very important.

To learn more about RSV in infants, visit www.rsvprotection.com.


I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Review: Fig Leaf Baby - Preemie, Infant, and Toddler Clothing

Twintuitive Product #17

I chose these toddler tees from Fig Leaf Baby to feature as a "TWINtuitive Product", because a large percentage of twins are born prematurely and this baby clothing boutique specializes in clothing for preemies. Our own twins were born 9-1/2 weeks early. They spent two weeks in the NICU and then another three weeks in the Special Care Nursery. If you are looking for gifts for preemies, whether for singletons, twins, triplets, or more, Fig Leaf Baby is a good place to start.

What I thought about our NICU tees from Fig Leaf Baby:

1) First I want to point out that these "N.I.C.U. Alumni" t-shirts are currently only available in long and short sleeve preemie-size bodysuits. Fig Leaf Baby was nice enough to have these toddler tees made especially for my twins so I could experience their products first hand. I do think they should offer this shirt in larger sizes because being a NICU graduate is something to celebrate for a long time.



2) I honestly was bowled over by the quality of these t-shirts. It is apparent that every detail about the clothing is first class.

3) What impressed me the most about these shirts was that they are soft as a cloud. They are made of 100% Peruvian Pima cotton. I would love to see Fig Leaf Baby add sleepwear to their line in this fabric.

4) I like the fact that this clothing is dyed with organic vegetable dyes. This is so important for preemies and newborns who have such delicate skin.

5) That these shirts are embroidered with text rather than screen printed, makes them an even more impressive gift.

6) These shirts are labeled inside and out. On the inside, there is a satiny fabric Fig Leaf Baby label, which is soft and did not irritate either twins' necks. On the outside, the Fig Leaf Baby logo is discreetly printed on the upper back of the shirt.

7) One thing that usually concerns me about embroidery is the possibility of the underside irritating the skin. Fig Leaf Baby uses a backing that dissolves in the wash, which it did completely disappear in the first washing. Still, I was worried that the embroidery itself would cause some itching because sometimes the lettering can get stiff. I was relieved to find that I was able to soften the embroidery with just flexing it here and there a few times. Both twins wore these shirts right against their skin with no signs of irritation at all.

8) These shirts washed very well. There were no signs of shrinking, pilling, or misshaping. The embroidery also stayed completely intact.


Fig Leaf Baby's selection is not limited to tees and bodysuits for preemies, newborns, and toddlers. Their line also includes preemie and newborn tops, pants, jackets, dresses, and hats. To view their full line of clothing and accessories, visit FigLeafBaby.com . A portion of Fig Leaf Baby's proceeds go to the K.I.D.S. (Kids in Distressed Situations) children's charity.


Through September 30th, 2009, my readers have been invited to shop Fig Leaf Baby and to save 15% on every order placed using the Promo Code: 3G2S15.






Thank you to Fig Leaf Baby for providing us with a review product free of charge.

A Vocabulary Lesson

The twins are just about 16 months old now. I've been noticing that they had started to pick up several new words, especially Luke who seems to say a new word almost everyday now. I thought I would post a list along with the translations for our friends and family.




Things Makenzie can say . . .

kah = cat


Mama = MumMum


Baba = Baba (daddy in Chinese)


Ahjay = Jake


berr = bird


dare = there





Things Luke can say . . .


MumMum = MumMum


Baba = Baba


seewal = cereal


dawh = dog


dwop = drop


heeygo = Here you go.


boohm = go boom (fall down)


dowit = throw it


bip = bib


Ith = Goliath (his toy lion)


gup = cup


Zawwo = Zorro (our cat)


Rhrrrrrr = vroom


pawp = poop


dinkhoo = thank you


thissss = this


all dun = all done


bah = book


bawh = ball

As you can see, Luke can say a lot more than Makenzie at the moment. I don't doubt that this will change soon. The pattern seems to be that Luke will start to do something new and just about when he has almost mastered it, Makenzie will start to do it and master it right away.

PhotoHunt: Shoes

"Shoes"

These are my 16mos old daughter's first pair of prewalkers purchased at Payless. She mostly still wears soft-soled leather shoes. If you've been keeping up with my blog, then you know that she only recently took her first steps. Anyways, since our twins are preemies, they have a session with Early Intervention (EI) once a month. They told us that the Payless prewalkers have been rated to have the same technology as Stride Rite's prewalkers, so why spend the extra money for a pair of shoes that will be worn for only a month or two, right?

Don't forget to check out more PH photos at tnchick.com! Thanks for taking the time to view mine. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!

Alphabet Photos (Letter T)

"T is for Twenty-nine Day Old Twins"

This is one of my favorite photos of Makenzie and Luke. Did I ever mention that they were born 9.5 weeks early? This photo was taken after they had been moved from the NICU unit in a city hospital to the Special Care Nursery in our local hospital where they were finally able to share a bed.

Visit Quilly's Pacific Paradise to enjoy more Alphabet Photos! Thanks for stopping by!!

She Did It!

Another Milestone

That's right! Our 14.5mos old son (about 12mos old corrected) finally took his first steps hands-free today. With a little encouragement, he took two little baby steps towards his Baba (daddy) from the middle of the room. We all but threw a parade for him, so I hope he'll be brave enough to attempt it again soon. Nevertheless, I am one proud mommy!