Premature twins home for Christmas after months in hospital (From This is Hampshire)

Premature twins home for Christmas after months in hospital

5:30am Monday 24th December 2007

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FOR their parents, it is the best Christmas present ever. Baby twins Kieran and Oliver Cowley will enjoy the big day at home tomorrow after spending most of their lives in hospital following their premature births.

Wrapped up in bandages, surrounded by breathing and feeding tubes and confined to a small incubator for weeks, doctors warned Lauren Cowley and Greg Hiscock that they should prepare themselves for the worst when they were born 15 weeks early.

Weighing just 2lb each - and both suffering from premature lung disease, the twins spent months in Southampton's Princess Anne Hospital after they were born in July.

"It was terrifying," said Greg, 27. "The doctors just didn't know if they would pull through and they couldn't tell us for sure that they would be OK."

Mum Lauren, 22, said it was heartbreaking not to be able to hold her babies when they were born.

"I was shocked when they were born. It was really unexpected and very quick, doctors said I had a silent labour."

Lauren told the Daily Echo how she and Greg had gone to hospital at 3am when she started suffering from severe back pain, and hours later the twins were born.

"They didn't say there was anything wrong with the birth, just that sometimes babies are born very early," she added.

What followed was a long journey of recovery for the family who live together in Ashurst Bridge near Totton as they struggled to overcome difficulties associated with a very early birth, which included treating bleeding on the brain for Oliver and sight saving laser eye surgery for Kieran.

"We brought Oliver home first last month. But the first night here he stopped breathing and we had to call an ambulance and resuscitate him," said Greg.

Following first aid advice given to both the parents Lauren resuscitated the sick baby and managed to get him breathing again.

"I did go into shock at first. He was blue and not breathing, but I knew what I had to do even though I was scared."

The couple eventually brought Oliver home at the end of November and two weeks ago, Kieran was able to join them for the first time.

"He is putting on a lot of weight now. He loves to eat and they have both just started smiling.

Kieran will also need oxygen for the next 12 months but after what we went through we never thought we would have them both here for Christmas," said Lauren.

"The staff at the hospital were amazing and did so much to help us. We really can't thank them or our families enough," she added.

"It has been a long journey to get them home, but they really are our two little miracles," said Greg.

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