My water broke when our twins were just 33 weeks. My husband and I live in the Janesville area and were sent to Meriter in an ambulance. There, we were greeted at the ER. Everyone made us feel right at home.

Although the experience happened quickly, we were reassured every step along the way. UW Health OB/GYN, Dr. Joel Henry delivered the twins. Tannica was born first and we were able to hold her. Treyton came an hour later and had some trouble breathing. Both babies needed the NICU.

The first time we spoke with Dr. Greer was when he told us that Treyton would need to be intubated, as his lungs were still "sticky." When I heard this I was so upset, but he reassured us that this was normal with preemies and put me at ease (as much as could be expected anyhow).

At first, it was really hard to see the kids in the isolettes and not be able to hold them. The staff was so good to us. The alarms on their monitors seemed to be going off constantly those first few days as their oxygen saturation levels would drop. The nurses were so calm that after a few days we realized that we needed to just reposition them or other ways to get those levels to go back up. Their calming presence really helped us deal with all those little things. Dr. Greer was there to talk with us right away and let us know what to expect in the next few hours and days.

The entire nursing staff and lactation consultant, Katie, were so patient with us in teaching and showing us both how to feed them through the tubes as well as working with the twins to help them learn how to eat by mouth.

The private room in the NICU made it easy to bond with the babies even though we couldn't be there all the time. I was able to stay over when I couldn't stand to be away from them any more. The care there was so amazing - I truly felt like Tannica and Treyton were in the care of family members.

The twins are home now and almost 9 months old. They are happy and healthy babies. My husband and I are so grateful to the Meriter NICU. It's an amazing facility and staff. We couldn't have asked for a better beginning for Tannica and Treyton!
Tammy