This week's episode we spoke with Liesje Lockhead based in New Plymouth, who had her twin girls, Georgia and Piper, at 27 weeks and 6 days gestation in Wellington City Hospital. 

Leisje openly shared the journey that she and her husband, Trent, went through to conceive all three of their children which due to a medical condition meant they had to tread the path of IVF to complete their family.  At their 7 week scan, they found out that they were having twins who were closely monitored due to them sharing a placenta and at around 18 weeks they discovered that the placement of the girls umbilical cords into the placenta meant that one twin was receiving more nourishment than the other, and that’s where their NICU story begins. 

Thank you so much to Liesje for taking time to chat with us, especially given how precious time is when you’ve got three young children to look after! Their story was so fascinating to hear – from the journey through IVF and being successful with both rounds, a full term birth for their first born, to finding out they were having identical twin girls in their second pregnancy and then the potential of having to make hard decisions about the survival of their little ones in utero and ending up away from home for four long months. Thankfully the outcome for this beautiful family has been a very happy one and they’ve celebrated their first year as a family of five. 

We hope you’re loving the ‘One in Ten’ podcast as much as us.  If so, please follow us on your favourite podcast platfom so that you know when our episodes drop, give us a five star rating, leave us some feedback or let us know what else you’d like to hear about from the Trust.