Double Dose Of Delight
Illawarra Mercury
Tuesday March 11, 2008
IT is not unusual for twins to be born premature, but when Erik and Oskar Heimerle entered the world at just 29 weeks, it was the start of an extraordinary day at Wollongong Hospital. Shortly after, another set of twin boys were unexpectedly born. They were only 26 weeks gestation. Born so dangerously early, the boys had to be flown one by one to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. The unexpected births on January 22 surprised both hospital staff and the mothers. Emily Heimerle, from Mt St Thomas, had gone to the hospital for routine blood tests, never expecting to have an emergency caesarean section. "The doctor examined me and I was already 3cm dilated," Mrs Heimerle said. "He took me into the delivery ward ... they had to do an emergency caesarean. "It was like this big ball just dropped - boom. I felt quite nervous. I guess I was quite disappointed because I'd planned a home birth." The Heimerle boys returned to Wollongong last week, in time to celebrate Multiple Births Awareness Week, which started on Sunday. They certainly won't have to worry about standing out because of their shared birthday - being a twin is fast losing its uniqueness. In the past 10 years, the rate of multiple births has escalated from one in 90 to one in 70, according to Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. Most twins born at Wollongong Hospital are premature and many remain in hospital for the first weeks, if not months, of their lives. Mrs Heimerle spent a month at the RPA, watching Erik and Oskar thrive after weighing not much more than 1kg each at birth. They still do not fit into their size 00000 clothes. Mrs Heimerle said until she takes them home she is not sure what it will be like raising twins. "I've heard that it's about 1 1/2 times the work load, not double," Mrs Heimerle said. She also is not expecting double the trouble - rather twice the love. "It's double the love, it really is," she said. "Every little step of the way, their little achievements that the kids go through, you get double of that. That's what I'm looking forward to." But she admitted she was nervous about dealing with two babies' needs, as well as raising her two-year-old daughter Klara. At least one thing is certain, Erik and Oskar will have separate wardrobes. "I won't initially dress them the same, I'll treat them as normal brothers," Mrs Heimerle said.
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury