An Unexpected Early Arrival
Zoe was enjoying what seemed like a normal twin pregnancy. While Maggie was measuring small in the 3rd percentile, the family had been managing the regular appointments and monitoring. After a lovely Sunday at the beach, Zoe went to bed feeling completely fine. Everything changed in the middle of the night when she woke with pain, immediately sensing something wasn’t right.
Her first thought was that she might be losing Maggie, given her small measurements. Zoe went to the hospital in Geelong, and was initially sent her home with pain medication, thinking it might be a minor infection, but as soon as she lay back down, her waters broke.
A Swift Journey to Melbourne
With no time to arrange childcare or prepare for such an early delivery at just 26 weeks and 6 days, the couple had to make quick decisions. Zoe’s husband rushed her back to the hospital while Paddy slept, then returned home to manage their daily routine. By 7 AM on 10 February, Zoe was in an ambulance heading to the Hospital in Melbourne, shedding tears with the paramedics as the reality of their situation set in.
Two days later, fraternal twins Billie and Maggie arrived, with Billie weighing more than tiny Maggie at just 700 grams. The family found themselves at the Ronald McDonald House North Fitzroy at Casa Elda Vaccari, beginning what would become an 11-week journey far from home.
A Smoother Path Than Expected
Despite their extremely early arrival, both girls had a relatively smooth NICU journey. They started on CPAP breathing support without needing intubation, gradually weaning down to high flow, then low flow, and eventually breathing independently. Little Maggie required two blood transfusions and both girls had courses of antibiotics and standard medications, but remarkably, neither needed surgery.
“We had a pretty good run,” Zoe says. “Talking to other families going through surgeries and more complex treatments, we realized how lucky we were.” The twins tracked along their own growth percentiles, with Maggie holding her own despite her tiny size.
Finding Home Away from Home
Initially, Zoe hadn’t even considered that accommodation like Ronald McDonald House might exist. Faced with the prospect of daily train trips, expensive hotels, or imposing on friends for months, discovering the Ronald McDonald House felt like a lifeline. The plan had been to transfer to Geelong Special Care after eight weeks, but no beds became available, extending their Melbourne stay by another three weeks of anxious morning phone calls hoping for transfer news that never came.
The family adapted to a new routine: Paddy visited on weekends with grandparents covering weekday care, while Zoe’s husband worked during the week and joined them Wednesday afternoons and weekends. “It really did feel like home,” Zoe shares. “The rooms were so comfortable, always clean, and being able to cook for yourself was really nice.”
Building Community in Difficult Times
Home at Last
