OUR TWINS BORN NINE DAYS APART

19-08-2024

2024

Human Interest

OUR TWINS BORN NINE DAYS APART The early arrival of these tiny tots was staggered because baby Hermanus wasn’t quite ready to leave his mom’s womb BY NADINE RAMONGANE PICTURES: ZURITA BORGHESI/YOU/MEDIA24/MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA ‘WE’RE SO GRATEFUL FOR THESE TWO . . . THEY’RE HEALTHY AND THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS’ THE twins are tiny, barely bigger than their parents’ hands, but their size belies their strength – they’re doing well and hopefully it won’t be too long before they can go home to the nursery that’s ready and waiting for them. Two big teddies – one pink and one blue – are perched on the bed in the brightly painted room and framed pictures of the twins’ little footprints are already on display. Michelle and Hermanus Senekal arrived three months early and will need to grow some more but their mom, Jo-Marie, and dad, Hermanus Sr, can’t wait for the day they can welcome their pigeon pair into their Upington home. But there’s something extra-special about these twins: Michelle was born nine days before Hermanus Jr, something their doctor considers close to a miracle. Staggering the birth of twins has been done before but obstetrician Cobus Conradie, who delivered them, says a nine-day delay in the birth of the second baby is highly unusual. “And here they are today, two lively, healthy babies,” he says. “They’re doing very well.” Jo-Marie (31) and Hermanus (35) are still somewhat bewildered by the fact their babies are considered medical miracles. “But we’re so grateful for these two,” Hermanus says. “And they’re healthy and that’s all that matters.” JO-MARIE was looking forward to chilling that first weekend of July. Her husband was off on a hunting trip in Namibia and her mother-in-law, Coba Senekal, had come to spend some time with her. She was going to work her usual hours as an administrative clerk on Saturday morning, then just relax for the rest of the time. It was Jo-Marie’s first pregnancy and everything had been going smoothly and the twins were growing well. But early that Saturday morning she started having some pain. “I thought, ‘This can’t be happening – I can’t be going into labour now. It’s way too early’.” She put it down to Braxton Hicks contractions, or false labour, and set off for the office. But the cramping continued and she eventually called her mom-in-law and asked her take her to Mediclinic Upington Hospital. Hundreds of kilometres away in Namibia, Hermanus was oblivious to the drama unfolding. “I was in a place where there was no cellphone reception. We were driving through a mountain range,” he says. “When we reached the top of the mountain a message came through over the two-way radio from the farmer who’s property we were staying on. “He said, ‘Your wife is in labour’ and I thought, ‘No, it can’t be’ – the babies were only due in September. “I arrived at the campsite and still thought the farmer was joking. But then he took out his cellphone and told me I had to drive to [a specific] mountain, to a [specific] road and climb on the roof of the truck to call Jo-Marie. Which he did. And when his father-in law, Michael Hayes, answered the phone he knew something was wrong. Hermanus immediately set off on the 350km journey back to Upington, his mind racing. “I just didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “There was a long wait at the border post but once everything was sorted I hit the road and drove fast. I didn’t know if it would be good or bad news.” Back at the hospital Jo-Marie was about to give birth naturally. “It was strange not to have Manie there but it was clear the twins were on their way,” she says. Cobus, who’s an experienced obstetrician, still can’t explain why Jo-Marie went into labour so early. “She dilated quickly and thankfully the baby in the front [Michelle] descended nicely. “We were able to deliver her slowly and the placenta also came out completely and separately without damaging the second baby’s placenta. By absolute grace the little boy was safe inside.” Jo-Marie heard her daughter’s first cry but Michelle was so small, weighing just 940g – and her brother was even smaller. Cobus said it would better if Hermanus Jr, or Manie as his parents call him, stayed where he was. “The doctor wanted him to grow a little more,” Jo-Marie says. She was confused and emotional. “Everything happened so fast. First Michelle was born and I could see her only briefly before she was taken to the incubator. Then I had to hear that my little boy was too small, that he should stay inside as long as possible.” She struggled to wrap her head around it. “How are you pregnant with two babies but then you give birth to one baby and don’t know when the second one will arrive? But I trusted my doctor and knew he was making the right decision.” Jo-Marie was given medication to suppress the labour process as well as steroid injections to boost her son’s lung and brain development. A few hours later her husband finally arrived and after spending some time with his wife he was taken to see his daughter. “She was as big as my hand,” he says. Jo-Marie stayed in hospital under strict bed rest for the next nine days. “It was probably the hardest time,” she recalls. “I couldn’t move anywhere while Michelle lay on the other side of the hospital. It broke my heart. And all the while Manie was wriggling and kicking inside me.” Hermanus, a workshop foreman at a car dealership, could see how hard it was for his wife and did what he could to comfort her. “I went to see Michelle during visiting hours and took photos and videos to show Jo-Marie.” After nine days Jo-Marie’s contractions started again and her medical team was satisfied enough with the baby’s progress to bring him into the world via C-section. Hermanus was delighted to be there for his son’s arrival, having missed his Michelle’s delivery. The decision to leave Manie in the womb was a good one – he weighed a little more than 1kg and was far better prepared to take his first breath in his new environment. T HE babies are now progressing well in hospital but Jo Marie and Hermanus have been told it could be two to three months before they can go home. The parents are making regular trips to be with their children and are well pre pared for when they’re finally discharged. “We weren’t ready for them at birth but now we’ve got everything sorted, so they can come home,” Hermanus says. Although Michelle is older than her brother their birthdays will be celebrated together “somewhere in the middle or the end of the nine-day difference”, Jo-Marie says. “We’ll definitely have one big birthday for them.” But that’s something to decide in the future – for now their focus is on watching over their precious twins as they get stronger. “They’re drinking more milk and growing every day,” Jo-Marie says. “And we’re so happy about that.”