Last updated on September 9th, 2026 at 10:05 am
Dealing with a NICU journey adds a completely new layer to the already challenging path of twin parenthood. Here are real stories from twin parents who have made it to the other side of a NICU stay with one or both of their twins.
Whether it’s for a day, a month, a year, or any other amount of time a NICU stay colors your perspective of parenthood in an entirely new light.
And when you have two babies at once, that journey can feel all the more overwhelming.
Whether you’re mentally preparing for the potential of a NICU stay as an expecting twin parent, you’re in the thick of one right now, or you’ve made it through to the other side, you’re not alone in your experience.
Twin parents from around the globe have graciously shared their inspiring twin stories with us. Read below to feel a little less alone in the throngs of NICU life, and feel free to share your own story with us here.
A 124-day NICU stay
My di/di boy/girl twins were born at 27 weeks, 2 days. After a rough pregnancy and a troublesome anatomy scan, I was admitted to the hospital for monitoring & had an emergency c-section a week later.
My girl was born at 714 grams, while my son was 1104 grams. His lungs collapsed less than 24 hours after birth, and she was very low weight.
Every single day in the NICU, they showed us their strength, resilience, and will to go on. After 124 days in the hospital, and with the help of some amazing nurses, we were finally able to go home!
The NICU tested us in ways we didn’t know possible. It was hard, but we were very lucky to have an amazing support system to get us by. Now, we have a NICU family who loves our littles as much as we do! — Kelsey R.
A 5-day NICU stay for one twin
My twins were born at 36+3, and we were hopeful they wouldn’t need the NICU. Our boy was 4lbs 8oz and our girl was 5lbs 5oz.
Unfortunately, our girl wasn’t passing her blood sugar checks, and was admitted to the NICU about 8 hours after birth. I was recovering from my C-section and had our boy to look after so I wasn’t able to see her until the next afternoon. It was horrible being apart from her like that.
They had had trouble getting the IV in and her tiny little arms were bruised. I apologized profusely to her for that, I’m also a very hard stick. We had matching IV bruises when we came home. Thankfully, she did really well with her glucose drip and was able to come home with her brother at five days old.
I’m forever grateful to the doctors and nurses in our NICU who made a scary experience as smooth as possible. — Danielle B.
33-weekers (one born on the side of the road, one in the hospital)
I had my twins at 33 weeks and 3 days. My water broke at about 6am and by 6:35am baby A was born on the side of the road with my husband delivering him. We waited for the ambulance who brought us to the hospital where I delivered baby B. Both babies were immediately brought to the NICU where they spent just under a month.
Baby B needed more help with breathing, but they eventually both learned how to breathe and eat on their own. The nurses showed the most respect and support which is exactly what I needed during that time. Taking it day by day and focusing on what I could control is how I made it through their stay.
This along with a huge amount and family and friends support. Leaving your babies every day in the hospital is an impossible thing to do, and I didn’t realize the effect it had on me until months later. However, they are now almost 2 and thriving! — The Wakasugi Twins
A 20-day and 21-day NICU stay
My girls were born at 32 weeks and 6 days. Baby girl A was in there for 21 days while Baby girl B was in there for 20 days.
When they were born, baby girl A was in there for feeding and growth and eventually needed the light for jaundice. Baby girl B needed help breathing because she had fluids in her lungs she was on CPAP for 3 days and then on room oxygen. After that, she was in there for feeding and growth like her sister.
Now both my girls are almost 14 months and thriving besides Baby girl A having seizures due to her prematurity but well managed thanks to medication. — The Burns Twins
The Combs Twins’ NICU Story (having to “leave one twin behind”)
Two years ago on August 29th, at 10:30 AM, I became a boy mom times two.
On August 29, 2024, I delivered my fraternal twin boys via scheduled C-section at 37 weeks. Twin A was 6 lbs 6 oz and Twin B was 7 lbs 4 oz.
At first, everything seemed routine. They put both boys on my chest for skin-to-skin, and almost immediately I noticed something was different. Twin A was making noises, but Twin B was quiet. Something in my gut told me something wasn’t right.
I told their dad. I told anyone who would listen that something was wrong. I was told he was fine and that it wasn’t anything to worry about. But eventually, when I said I couldn’t breathe well and asked them to take one of the babies to dad, they realized Twin B wasn’t breathing normally.
Both boys were rushed to the NICU.
I don’t remember every detail of those moments. Honestly, I’ve blocked a lot of it out. I just remember being terrified and worrying about my babies.
Twin A came back to our room around 3:30 that afternoon. We were told Twin B was on CPAP but was doing okay. I went to see him around 6 PM, and seeing my tiny baby hooked up broke my heart.
I didn’t even know I could hold him. I was kinda scared to ask. I visited him for as long as I could. From upstairs, I was sending most of my breast milk to him, hoping every drop would help him get stronger.
He stayed on CPAP until the early morning of August 30th. Finally, I got to hold him and it was the best feeling.
On August 31st, he was moved to the step-down unit. We were making progress, but the NICU was full of “maybes.” We were told he might come home on certain days, only for those days to come and go.
On September 1st, we got to take Twin A home. But we had to leave Twin B behind.
That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. It felt like we were abandoning him when he needed us the most, even though we knew he was exactly where he needed to be. We called the NICU multiple times every day, constantly checking on him. We’d hear that he was doing better, and then we’d hear that he’d taken a step backward.
Then, on September 4th, we got the call we’d been waiting for. He had kept all of his feeds down, was breathing completely on his own, and it was time for his car seat test. He passed with flying colors.
After six of the longest days of our lives, we finally got to bring our other baby home.
He was diagnosed with laryngomalacia, which the hospital unfortunately missed initially, and we believe that contributed to some of the struggles he had. Looking back, Twin A also struggled with feeding, and there were times we wondered if he should have been in the NICU too.
As a mom, those days came with so much guilt. I knew logically that none of it was my fault, but that didn’t stop me from wondering if I should have waited another week. If maybe things would have been different. If maybe I could have kept my babies out of the NICU.
But the truth is, we’ll never know.
What I do know is that I have two incredible little boys who made me a mom. Two years later, you would never look at Twin B and know what he went through during those first six days of his life.
Today, he is happy, healthy, sweet, loving, and has the biggest heart.
And somehow, those tiny babies who once fit in my arms are turning TWO.
Are You a New Twin Parent?
Check out Natalie Diaz’s book:
“What To Do When You’re Having Two
The Twin Survival Guide From Pregnancy Through the First Year”
In What to Do When You’re Having Two: The Twins Survival Guide from Pregnancy Through the First Year, national twins guru and founder of Twiniversity (and twin mom herself!) Natalie Diaz provides a no-holds-barred resource about life with twins, from pregnancy and birth all the way through your duo’s first year of life.
Accessible and informative, What to Do When You’re Having Two
is the must-have manual for all parents of twins.
IVF twin miracles discharged on the same day
Our twins came into the world at just 27 weeks, much earlier than we were prepared for. Our baby boy weighed 925 grams (2 lb 0.6 oz) and our baby girl just 742 grams (1 lb 10.2 oz).
I wasn’t allowed to see them in the operating room. In fact, I didn’t see my babies at all for the first 28 hours after they were born. And for almost two weeks, we weren’t allowed to touch or hold them.
They were incredibly tiny. Our daughter’s weight dropped further to around 680 grams (1 lb 8 oz) in those early days, which terrified us.
Both babies needed blood transfusions during their stay. Our son also had apnea and desaturation episodes, and watching those numbers suddenly fall on a monitor introduced us to a kind of fear we had never known before.
They spent 75 days in the NICU.
Feeding them looked nothing like I had imagined motherhood would. They were too small to latch, so breast milk was initially given in tiny quantities through syringes and feeding tubes. I pumped around the clock because providing milk felt like one of the few things I could actively do for them as their mother.
My husband and I learnt to celebrate a completely different set of milestones — a few grams gained, increasing feeds, needing a little less breathing support, and eventually wearing their first impossibly tiny clothes.
When we were finally allowed to hold them, Kangaroo Mother Care became our bonding time. After waiting nearly two weeks just to touch our babies, having those tiny bodies against our chests felt incredibly special.
We didn’t have a camera system through which we could see them when we weren’t at the hospital. Every night we left them behind, and every morning I waited to get back to the NICU and find out how they had done overnight.
But through all of it, one small thought gave me some comfort: at least they had each other.
Their journeys weren’t identical. Some days one twin seemed ahead; then the other would catch up. Somehow, milestone after milestone, they kept finding their way back onto the same page. Watching that happen was incredible.
Somewhere along the way, I became determined about one thing: I wanted to bring both my babies home together.
And after 75 days, somehow, they did exactly that.
Our baby boy and baby girl were ready for discharge on the very same day. After 75 days of walking out of the hospital without them, my husband and I finally walked out with both our babies.
Their NICU journeys were individually their own, but even there, their twin bond seemed to quietly keep bringing them back to each other.
They came home the same way they had entered this world — together. —- IVF Twin Miracles
The Chirindza Family’s Twin NICU Story
My boy girl twins were born via c-section at 31 + 4 weeks! I had a short cervix that was discovered at 22 weeks that resulted in an emergency cerclage.
At 31 weeks my water broke like in the movies and we headed to the hospital. My babies stayed in the NICU for 6 weeks.
We visited every single day. It was hard, but the nurses taught us so much about caring for our babies that we felt like professionals when it was time to bring them home.
The entire hospital staff we came in contact with cared for us as much as they cared for our babies and that made the hospital feel warm instead of cold. I told their first set of nurses my hope was to bring them home before Valentine’s Day and they BOTH came home on February 14th.
Want to share your own twin NICU story?
Your story matters, and it could make another twin family feel less alone. If you’d like to share your twin NICU story in honor of NICU Awareness Month, please fill out this form.
Want to read other NICU articles? Check these out too:
- Pumping for NICU Twins: Advice from Parents Who’ve Been There
- How to Celebrate Holidays and Special Milestones in the NICU
- Tips to Ease Your NICU Stress and Anxiety
