Rudduck and her husband, Cody, had prayed for a baby and they were “blessed double,” she said, with twins Drew and Jonah.
“It was a lot of fear but just knowing we couldn’t have come that far just for it to be the end of their story,” Rudduck said.
Twin-to-Twin Syndrome complications
Their health journey started at seven weeks into the pregnancy, when the Rudducks found out they would be having twins.
“Before you’re pregnant with twins, you don’t really know the complications that can occur,” Rudduck said.
During her pregnancy, doctors discovered that her babies had Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, which is a complication involving identical twins in which one twin receives less blood supply than the other, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
This led to Rudduck undergoing a laser fetal surgery, which took place on Thanksgiving 2024, to treat the condition, she said.
“After that, there were some complications due to the laser surgery,” she said.
Rudduck had to be on bed rest after the surgery. Doctors then wanted to monitor one of the babies — “Baby B,” would later be named Jonah — more closely, so Rudduck was hospitalized at Kettering Health Main Campus, she said.
She was hospitalized for about 18 days before her delivery, which was at 27 weeks and six days into her pregnancy, Rudduck said. A full-term pregnancy lasts until typically about 39-40 weeks.
“Baby B said he was ready to come out,” Rudduck said.
Kettering Health Main Campus’ NICU team took over, she said, as both babies needed oxygen support after the birth and Jonah need intubation, Rudduck said.
“They were just wonderful,” Rudduck said about the NICU staff.
Jonah overcomes health challenges
Jonah started having more complications, she said, so they transferred him to Dayton Children’s NICU in case doctors needed to do further medical intervention. Their other son, Drew, stayed at Kettering Health Main Campus’ NICU.
“We felt like he was progressing so well there and growing and soon to come home,” Rudduck said about Drew, who was off oxygen by then and practicing being fed with a bottle.
Jonah underwent testing and observation at Dayton Children’s. Doctors there found Jonah’s small intestines had ruptured, so they had to do emergency surgery to remove two-thirds of his small intestine, Rudduck said.
“Thank God that they found that because he was very, very sick at that point,” she said.
Jonah was also found to have chronic lung disease.
“He needed the additional lung support, and he was intubated for most of his life,” Rudduck said.
Jonah had additional surgeries after that, including one for his eyes as he developed a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity. ROP is a condition affecting babies born premature where abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina of the eyes.
Jonah has also had some issues growing. He was about two pounds when he first arrived at Dayton Children’s and has now grown to a little more than 13 pounds, Rudduck said.
Months in the NICU
While Drew was able to go home after 74 days in the NICU, Jonah spent 229 days in the NICU, coming home in September.
During the time when Drew was able to come home but Jonah was still hospitalized, the Rudducks felt like they were living two lives.
“With one baby, they’re progressing and making all these strides,” Rudduck said about getting to bring Drew home. “... And then knowing that your other baby is just not progressing the same and having the fear of what the future looks like for him.”
They were balancing their life at home with a newborn while also worrying about their baby still in NICU.
“We’re living life at home with one, and we’re living life in the hospital with the other,” Rudduck said.
“It just felt like two different lives happening at once.”
‘In good hands’
Both boys, who will turn 1 on Jan. 24, are now home and will be celebrating their first Christmas.
“We’re just really excited to have them home and get to experience what it’s like to have a family and get to share them with our family and start all the new traditions,” Rudduck said.
Looking ahead, they’re hoping to put the struggles of this year behind them. The Rudducks are looking forward to living life with their boys, but they are also remembering “how blessed we are” to have made it through that time, she said.
About both Kettering Health and Dayton Children’s, Rudduck said, “Thank God for good nurses ... Nurses who are intentional about wanting to get to know you and care for your babies.”
It was a comfort for the Rudducks knowing that, when they were home caring for Drew, the care team at Dayton Children’s was watching over Jonah like he was one of their own, Rudduck said.
“Having to leave a baby that’s been in critical condition is hard,” Rudduck said. “So having nurses that would look after them as their own, it meant the world to us.”
“The staff was amazing. The care was amazing,” she said. “...We felt like we were in good hands.”
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