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PHOENIX (May 23, 2023) — When Daisy Rodriguez found out she was pregnant for the third time, she never imagined how different things would be compared to her previous pregnancies. Rodriguez gave birth to premature twins Nikolai and Noah on Jan. 22 at Banner Estrella Medical Center. Her boys were born at only 29 weeks, weighed only two pounds each and stayed in the hospital for more than two months.
Like many other multiple births, the Rodriguez twins were born early and required extensive hospitalization before going home after 79 days at the hospital. Since twins are at greater risk of being born prematurely, they are also at high risk of suffering from health complications. These babies may need to stay hospitalized until their organs develop or they’re able to breathe on their own, eat by mouth and maintain their body temperature and weight.
Premature birth is also difficult for the parents, who go through the stress of having their babies in the NICU for days, weeks, or months, depending on how early the babies are born and what complications occur. Nursing staff noticed little Nikolai and Noah shared a strong bond with each other.
“The babies are very connected — both had similar tendencies and seemed to be synchronized,” said Allison Miller, a NICU nurse at Banner Estrella. “When one baby was hungry or needed something, it was just a matter of minutes before the other baby would also need it too. When they were put together, they would be so happy,” she said.
Daisy and her boys became close to the medical staff at Banner Estrella. When they were ready to go home, Nikolai and Noah had doubled their weight and left the hospital with feeding tubes.
“I felt very emotional to leave the hospital, as the nurses and doctors were my support and became my second family,” Rodriguez said. “I was walking to my car when I looked back and saw the nurses from the NICU crying because I was taking my babies home… It was not only medical care but also love that my babies received during their stay at Banner Estrella, and I will be forever thankful to them.”
There was a steady decline in twin births in the U.S. between 2014 and 2020, according to National Vital Statistics. However, in 2021 the number increased slightly with 114,161 twin births compared to 112,437 in 2020.
About Banner Estrella Medical Center
Banner Estrella Medical Center is a nonprofit hospital in west Phoenix specializing in heart care, obstetrics, general surgery, emergency services and weight loss surgery. One of the first fully-digital hospitals in the country, Banner Estrella has served as a model for dozens of new hospitals built around the world since it opened in 2005. Banner Estrella is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system with 30 hospitals in six states. For more information, visit bannerhealth.com/estrella.
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