Real life stories from Mount Carmel: Sandra Christian, twin girls

Why did you choose Mount Carmel Hospital for your maternity care?

I chose Mount Carmel Hospital as my sister in law had her three children there and spoke very highly about the standard of care, I felt there was a calm atmosphere when I came to visit her at the hospital.

 

Were you aware of the Special Care Baby Unit in Mount Carmel Hospital and the critical care we can provide to premature babies born at 32 weeks onwards before you attended here?

I was not aware of the Special Care Baby Unit until I met with my consultant, Dr. Valerie Donnelly for the first time. She informed me that Mount Carmel had a SCBU and told me about everything the hospital had to offer. It was not until the twins were born, that I became aware of the critical care provided in the Special Care Baby Unit for babies with infections or babies born prematurely.

 

Was this your first experience as a patient in Mount Carmel Hospital?

Unfortunately, we had a still birth with our first child in Mount Carmel at 22 weeks.  This was an incredibly difficult time for us however being in comfortable surroundings, with such caring staff, helped make the time bearable.  Valerie’s presence during the labour had such a calming effect at such a traumatic time. The pastoral care team helped us organise a mass and kept in touch over the coming weeks, which was the support we really needed at the time.

When I became pregnant with the twins a few months later, I really felt that if they could make such a bad experience better, then they were the right people to go back to.

Valerie scanned me every week from week six to twelve for my peace of mind and was always on the end of the phone if I had any concerns.

Maura, our midwife took calls any time. She was a huge support and a pleasure to deal with at every step.

 

Your twin girls were born at 32 weeks + 1 day. How was your experience with early labour and delivery?

I knew at 27 weeks that the girls were planning an early escape. I was put on bed rest in the hospital for a week.  Staff in the ward was amazing – from the cleaners to the nurses; everyone had a smile on their faces daily. After a week, I was allowed to go home for total bed rest. I went into labour after 4 weeks.

It was a Sunday afternoon around 3pm; I called the hospital to tell them how I was feeling, which was just a bit different, restless and very heavy.  I was told to come in for a quick check up. We met Felicity, our midwife and she informed me that I was in labour. I was so scared for the babies, but she was so reassuring and calm.

Dr. Andrea Nugent was the Consultant on call, she explained to James and I what was going to happen and very soon I was taken for the c-section. Felicity stayed with me every step of the way and reassured me that everything was going to be alright.

 

Did you feel fully informed by staff / Consultants of the need to place the twins in our Special Care Baby Unit and what course of action would be taken?

While in Mount Carmel on bed rest, I was shown the Special Care Baby Unit to ease my nerves. I knew there was a strong possibility the twins would be admitted there.

On the day of the delivery, I was informed that the twins would go straight to SCBU. I feel I was prepared for this as I had five weeks to get used to the idea!

I was kept up to date at all times about the girls’ progress and was put in a room two doors down from the Special Care Baby Unit, so I could pop in and see them any time of the day or night during my five night stay.

 

Did you feel comfortable knowing your babies were being looked after at Mount Carmel Hospital?

I could not have been happier with my girls’ care. They needed to stay in the Special Care Baby Unit for 5 weeks and I felt 100% sure that they were in the best place they could possibly be. I spent all day with my girls in the unit for the five weeks and got to know all the staff so well. They were like our family for that time.  I feel my girls needed more care than a mother could provide for those few weeks, but I gave them the best I could provide by having them in the best place possible. It was our second home for that time and we were greeted each day by the same friendly, efficient staff. I can not thank them enough for all they did for all of us.

It is a worrying time when your tiny babies need so much help, but they got one-on-one 24hr care from amazing people that supported us through the whole process.

When my husband had to return to work, we would spend many late evenings at Mount Carmel. We were given as much access to the girls as possible, holding them and feeding them. The staff did a great job teaching us how to care for Sarah & Abbey and we never felt that we outstayed our welcome. They were helpful in all aspects, even taking our first family photo for us. The Special Care Baby Unit provided us with quiet, private, comfortable surroundings to get to know our new little family.

 

What kind of care plan did Sarah and Abbey receive during their stay?

Dr. Saulius Satas spent so much time with the girls and us. I felt like he was with us every step of the way in getting them strong enough to go home.  He was such a huge support and such a comfort, explaining everything to us in a language we could understand and answering all our questions no matter how many we had. We felt like he took a really special interest in our girls’ wellbeing.

The Kangaroo Care policy meant a very special time for us to spend with our little ladies. The skin to skin contact really helped us to feel close to our girls. It was a time to bond with them and to comfort them. They reacted to the sound of our voices and really seemed to be calmed by being close to us.

 

How did you find the follow up care post discharge?

We have signed up for the developmental twin package with Dr. Satas and we look forward to every visit. He has helped us with advice on all matters with our girls. Dr. Satas gave us great advice about feeding and looking after our girls, for example tips like putting socks over the baby-grows to keep in the heat while both girls’ weights were so low. He was always contactable on the phone. Both Sarah & Abbey had reflux and they ended up on different medication but thanks to Dr. Satas, it was very well controlled. He also encouraged us to trust our gut instincts and gave us the confidence to realise that even as first time parents, we know our girls best. This was the best advice we could have gotten at the time, as it was so easy to worry and doubt our every move with such little ones.

Our next visit is when the girls are 1 year old and we are looking forward to showing off how they have developed into such healthy, happy little women already.

 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who we met on our journey to becoming parents. A nerve wracking time has left us with lifelong happy memories of our time dealing with everyone in Mount Carmel Hospital.