Five-week-old ‘miracle’ twins Hudson and Lola have been inseparable from the moment they were born – despite arriving almost four weeks early at Mater Mothers’ Hospital.
Bulimba mum Stephanie Nicholls said Lola and Hudson stare at each other constantly and find comfort in sleeping next to each other.
“When we lie them side by side, they reach out for each other’s hands. We feel so blessed that they will always have each other to lean on – life-long best friends,” Mrs Nicholls said.
Mrs Nicholls said ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Sibling Day (10 April) served as a reminder of how fortunate her twins were to have one another in their lives.
The 27-year-old primary school teacher said she was “terrified” when she found out she was expecting twins but quickly felt a sense of excitement and joy as she realised her babies would always have one another.
“Only a month prior we had experienced a miscarriage and were absolutely devastated,” Mrs Nicholls said.
“However, when we found out we were pregnant with twins, we always said that the one we lost was sent back to us by my grandad who passed a few years earlier and was a huge part of my life.”
Born at Mater Mothers’ Private Brisbane in South Brisbane on 7 March, Hudson arrived first at 1.59pm, weighing 2.69kg followed by his baby sister Lola just two minutes later, weighing 2.67kg.
“They came out screaming and I have never felt so overjoyed than the moment my babies were brought to me in the theatre,” Mrs Nicholls said.
Mrs Nicholls said her twins “certainly keep us on our toes”.
“The twins were an absolute surprise as we have no other twins in the family,” she said.
“We went for our six-week dating scan and were told ‘there’s one.. and there’s another’.
“I couldn’t imagine having it any other way now that we have them here.”
It is the “small moments” Mrs Nicholls said she loved the most about baby Hudson and Lola.
“It’s the little smiles they give us when we kiss them on the cheeks, the ravenous mouthing they do when they’re looking for the bottle, the eye contact they have started giving as we poke faces at them, watching them lie next to each other and stare at one another, and the skin-to-skin contact.
“You truly feel like a super woman raising two babies at once.
“I feel an immense sense of pride for growing two humans at once and watching my husband Riley step straight into the role of being a dad is beautiful in itself.”
Mrs Nicholls experienced hyperemesis during the first four months of her pregnancy and needed three weeks off work.
Hyperemesis gravidarum is extreme morning sickness and causes severe vomiting during pregnancy. In severe cases, it leads to dehydration and may cause premature birth.
“I had to move out of my own house because I couldn’t stand the smell and spent every lunch time lying on my office floor in the dark when I returned to work – the things we do for our babies!” she said.
Mater Mothers’ Hospitals is Australia’s largest maternity service provider, delivering almost 12,000 babies every year.
