WaterWipes are proud to support premature baby charities in NZ and Australia and wanted to share this story with you. They are proud to provide free packs of WaterWipes to neonatal units around New Zealand and Australia.
Stacey Kale and her husband Simon from Hawke’s Bay could not wait to meet their identical twin girls, yet nothing could prepare the couple for the emotional journey that lay ahead.
WaterWipes are proud to support premature babies by sponsoring Miracle Babies, Australia and supporting the Neonatal Trust by providing free packs of WaterWipes to neonatal units around New Zealand.
At her 20-week anatomy scan, Stacey found out that there were some abnormalities with her pregnancy. The next few days involved an array of scans, specialists and air ambulances to Wellington and Auckland. It was then confirmed that her unborn twins had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) and needed immediate surgery.
The surgery went smoothly however soon after one of the twins, Grace, developed a serious fetal condition, hydrops fetalis, and also her heart was not developing as it should.
“We were so scared. She needed to make it to 32 weeks for cardiology to be able to help her,” said Stacey however at just 27 weeks Stacey’s water broke and the babies needed to be delivered via an emergency caesarean.
Stacey and her husband spent three months in the Auckland NICU as Amelia and Grace were carefully nursed back to health, followed by one month in their local hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). Grace also had to undergo open heart surgery at just eight weeks old, where she then spent a month in PICU.
“There were days and nights where the chance of losing the girls were high and I felt so helpless and scared.” said Stacey.
Stacey knew to avoid certain baby products as they contain harsh chemicals and fragrances, particularly for a newborn’s sensitive skin. “Seeing how small and delicate the twins were, and still are, makes it so important for to choose products that are safe to use on their sensitive skin and won’t cause any more discomfort or issues for them.”
Stacey had been using WaterWipes on her son’s skin after struggling with nappy rash and other skin issues, and found they were the only baby wipes that helped his sensitive skin. She was very pleased to learn that WaterWipes were not only safe to use on a newborn, but safe to use on the skin of a premature baby.
“There is nothing worse than watching your child be in pain, so it’s one less thing I have to worry about knowing that I choose a wipe that won’t irritate the skin of my precious premmie babies,” said Stacey.
Amelia and Grace were finally able to come home on oxygen after four long months. Grace is still dependent on oxygen and both girls suffer chronic lung disease, yet the couple couldn’t be happier having the twins home and the whole family together under one roof.
WaterWipes are the world’s purest baby wipes and have been carefully designed to be gentle on babies’ sensitive skin. Made with 99.9% purified water and just a drop of fruit extract, WaterWipes provide safe cleansing for the most delicate newborn skin and are so gentle they can be used on premature babies.
WaterWipes are suitable for sensitive skin and are the only baby wipe to be approved by Allergy UK and Awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance. WaterWipes is also a proud sponsor of the Eczema Association of Australasia. Originating in Ireland, WaterWipes have expanded to Australian and New Zealand markets and are continuing to grow worldwide.
For more information or to purchase online visit www.waterwipes.com
Wowee what a heart renching story. Sounds like you had a hell of a journey with your twins Stacey. They only give the struggles to the strongest warriors so think of it that way you are a strong lady. Great to hear about water wipes will definitely recommend to family members with babies and having babies. As my children are too grown up now.
Awwww my sister had wee identical twin premies 11 years ago – I can still remember going to see them in NICU 🙂 they have grown to be gorgeous, healthy girls 🙂
Wow, what a long emotional road that must be. How precious those baby girls are. I have several friends who have had to spend time at NICU with their wee babies. It seems like a supportive place, which is especially important when the stress, grief and uncertainty can isolate people.