Take me to Lone Peak Hospital’s NICU: When the unexpected happens, they provide a double dose of support

When Jenn Glazier and her husband, Don Huynh utilized in vitro fertilization (IVF), they understood that a large portion of pregnancies result in twins. They also knew the rate of twin pregnancies directly correlated with the number of embryos transferred — the more embryos implanted, the greater the chance of multiple births.

“We only transferred one embryo. We did everything in our power to make this one baby — but sure enough, our single embryo split and became two,” Jenn said. “It was pretty crazy when we found out. My husband put his head between his legs and just sat there for a minute.”

As the shock wore off, a double dose of excitement settled in. Both parents, and their 3.5-year-old son Jack, began preparing for the twins’ arrival.

Choosing where to deliver the twins came naturally. For the past decade, Jenn has served as a certified physician assistant at South Valley Women’s Health Care, and often helped in deliveries at Lone Peak Hospital. 

“We had a lot of choices with our insurance, but were drawn to the quaint, personal feeling at Lone Peak,” Jenn said. “Looking back, we have been so happy with our experience.”

When the unexpected happens, Lone Peak Labor and Delivery and NICU teams provide extra support

At 33-weeks-gestation, Jen woke up to use the restroom and her water broke. She knew she’d need to get to the hospital, but figured when she arrived, she’d settle into monitored bedrest and give the twins more time to grow and develop in the womb. The babies had a different plan.

By the time Don and Jenn arrived at Lone Peak Hospital, contractions squeezed consistently. To add to the drama, a major storm rolled in. The wind blew with such intensity that the power went out, though Jenn and Don didn’t notice because of the hospital’s prepared generators.

Nurses kept in close communication with Dr. Kathleen Langer, Jenn’s OB/GYN, who was quickly commuting to the hospital. At one point, a nurse checked Jenn’s progress and discovered that Jenn was dilated to nearly 9 centimeters, and the nurse could feel Baby A, who had descended down the birth canal in a breech position.

“From the phone, Dr. Langer said she’d meet us in the operating room, but the nurse was rolling my bed toward the door when I said, ‘We aren’t going to make it. I can feel her, and I need to push now,” Jenn said.

With just one push, Baby A arrived. The nurse called out for reinforcement.

“Within minutes, everyone was there, and everyone was busy at their job. It felt like a calm chaos and was cool to watch,” Jenn said.

The collaborative effort ensured a safe start for the twins

“Being an OB/GYN physician assistant, I knew too much. I knew arriving at 33 weeks was not ideal, but the nurse told me to look down, and that’s when I saw Baby A was crying and doing ok,” Jenn said.

Then came time for the second half of the delivery. Jenn’s water broke for Baby B, who also presented in a breech position. Nurses moved Jenn’s bed back into the proper position, and the OR team brought in the delivery equipment. Within 8 minutes Baby B arrived.

“She wasn’t breathing great, so she went to the NICU before I really got a good look at her,” Jenn said. “I still needed to deliver the placenta and the neonatologists were working on the babies, so it took a couple hours before I was with them. That was tough. None of this happened how we expected things to go.”

Lone Peak Hospital NICU delivers a strengthening, supportive setting for new life

Baby A, named Rosie, came into the world at 3 lbs. 7 oz; Baby B, named Nora, arrived at 4 lbs. 7 oz. Both needed to stay in the NICU for extra strengthening and support as they learned to breathe and eat on their own.

The specialized nursing NICU team arranged a corner for the twins, where they and their parents settled into a routine. While the girls benefited from round the clock NICU care, Don and Jenn zoomed between their son at home and their girls at the hospital. With each trip to the hospital, the parents noted the latest changes.

“Every baby in the NICU faces hiccups, and so did ours. In the beginning Nora needed to be intubated temporarily, and at one point Rosie needed help breathing on a C-Pap,” Jenn said. “It was a lot. There were times I felt super emotional and needed more sleep, but that’s when the nurses really stepped up. Like one time, when one of the girls was having a hard time latching on for breast feeding, I didn’t say much, but the nurses stay so in tune with how baby and mama are doing that they could tell I felt upset. A nurse came and talked with me, and we had a good conversation and came up with a plan. They listened and were so compassionate and understanding of what I wanted for my babies. I really appreciated that.”

The twins stayed in the NICU for four weeks, growing and developing, with every baby step forward and backward being closely monitored.

“A neonatologist told us to buckle up because time in the NICU can feel like a rollercoaster,” Jenn said. “Sometimes it felt like the twins were flying forward and would be home in a week, and other times I’d realize that they still didn’t know how to do this or that, and it was going to take a while. I came to learn that it’s all on their timeline, and it will take as long as they need — and that’s ok.”

Once the twins were ready to go home, Jenn and Don felt like their family had multiplied many times over

The NICU team had shown such generous love and support to their family, that a tight bond and respect had formed.

“We felt like everyone genuinely cared about how we were doing and what was going on. They really have something special there,” Jenn said. “I watched them closely. It’s few and far between to find people so united by a common goal. They genuinely care about their people — their patients and each other — and I think that’s huge.”