When Gold Coast woman Kim Mepham went into labour with twins in August, she was shocked as she was only 33 weeks pregnant.
The Elanora resident was rushed into theatre for a c-section at Mater Mothers’ Private Gold Coast in Southport, where Mater obstetrician Dr Adriana Olog helped to deliver little Arlo at 2.36kg and Elsie at just 2.31kg on August 11.
“Kim came in with regular tightenings and was very much trying to convince herself that nothing was happening,” Dr Olog said.
“But when I put my hand on her belly, I thought, ‘Oh yes, these aren’t just tightenings. There's definitely something going on.’ It was very clear Kim was in active labour."
Ms Mepham said her biggest fear during the whirlwind delivery was that her preterm babies would struggle to breathe.
“Things progressed really quickly,” Ms Mepham said.
"I wasn't so worried about myself... more worried about whether the twins were going to be okay so soon in the outside world. But I knew we were all in safe hands."
Despite the rush, Dr Olog safely delivered little Arlo and little Elsie, with Mater neonatologist Associate Professor Anand Ramineni standing by to take the twins to Mater’s Special Care Nursery to get them settled into incubators.
“Preterm babies usually need help in three main areas – breathing, feeding, and keeping warm,” A/Prof Ramineni said.
“Elsie and Arlo did really well. Even though they were early, they didn’t need prolonged help with their breathing. They did need little feeding tubes through their nose into their stomach while they learnt to feed, and incubators to keep them warm.”
The twins spent 18 nights in hospital, but Ms Mepham was able to stay alongside Arlo and Elsie 24 hours a day in a rare “rooming in” space offered for families at Mater Mothers’ Private Gold Coast.
A/Prof Ramineni said allowing mums to stay with their newborns was rare across Queensland due to space constraints, but helps to make a high-stress period a little easier for families.
“Being close by means a mother can respond to her babies’ early feeding cues, which helps get breastfeeding and her milk supply established,” he said. “Breast milk also helps protect babies from infection, which matters even more when they’re born early.”
Now safely back home in Elanora, the twins are thriving and return to Mater Mothers’ located within Mater Private Hospital Gold Coast for developmental check-ups.
A/Prof Ramineni said ongoing follow-up through the first two years was vital for babies born early.
“Babies born between 32 and 34 weeks, like Arlo and Elsie, often do really well in hospital, but they’re still at higher risk of developmental delays,” he said.
“Delays can present themselves at any stage in those first two years, so we keep a close eye on development and, if a baby needs a bit of extra help, we can get it started early.”
November 15 is World Prematurity Day. Each year around 27,000 babies are born prematurely (before 37 weeks) in Australia.
A/Prof Ramineni said between eight and 10 percent of babies in Australia were born preterm.
“The twins are doing incredibly well,” he said.
“Arlo and Elsie are both so much bigger than when they were in here. When families come back and we see how well their babies are doing, it’s incredibly rewarding for the whole team – especially the nurses and midwives who cared for them every day.”
