Jason and Annalisa Cunningham, Luverne, are praying for a good night’s sleep.
Since their identical twins, Sawyer and Knox, were born a year ago, they haven’t slept more than 1 1/2 hours at a time.
But a year ago at this time, they were praying for their babies to live, so sleep is easy for them to sacrifice.
During pregnancy the babies developed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), a disease of the placenta that affects identical twin pregnancies.
It’s a rare condition that affects identical twins who share a common placenta. ... One takes on excess fluid and the other ends up with no amniotic fluid. Left untreated, it can be lethal for both babies.
A complicated, delicate, high-risk surgery in Denver, Colorado, in June was successful, but it was up to Annalisa to get them to full term.
She carefully monitored her diet and limited her mobility — to the point of using a wheelchair.
Every day mattered as they inched closer to the magical 28-week mark when it would be safe to deliver. “Getting from 20 weeks to 28 weeks was really nerve-wracking,” she told the Star Herald last year.
As they reached — and surpassed — that date, prayers began in earnest for a safe delivery at 34 weeks.
The babies were delivered by C-section on Sept. 23 in Sioux Falls. Knox weighed 4 pounds, 14 ounces, and Sawyer weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces.
Jason is the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Luverne, so an army of prayer warriors were on their side.
The twins came home to Luverne late in October to their siblings Carissa, 16, Graham, 15, Pierce, 13 and Colberg, 7.
Once home, the premie boys quickly caught up with their peers on the growth chart and they haven’t had an emergency since they came home.
The identical twins are so identical that Sawyer wears a bracelet on his right wrist. “And we dress them in different clothes,” Jason said.
Sawyer is also the one who recently mastered crawling. Knox is up on all fours, determined to catch up with his brother.
It’s good to see them thriving, considering their rocky start.
Because their lungs were underdeveloped at birth, exposure to common infant respiratory ailments may have been lethal.
“We hibernated that winter,” Annalisa said. “And we made the kids wash their hands when they came home from school.”
Their oldest child, Carissa, turned 16 in December and is now able to help with grocery trips and other errands. “That has made a big difference,” Annalisa said.
Jason pointed out how much space twins require when they travel.
“By the time we load their car seats and double stroller in the van, we can’t all fit in one vehicle,” he said, pointing out there’s no such thing as a “quick errand” with twins.
“Life is not twin-friendly.”
Twins under any circumstance create logistical obstacles, but the Cunninghams say they are grateful to face these “normal” challenges with healthy babies.
“They’ve done really well,” Annalisa said.
The boys and their parents recently celebrated the one-year birthday with the Sanford Sioux Falls high-risk OB doctors and nurses who helped them in the early days and weeks.
Annalisa baked cake, fudge and treats for the staff members who wanted have their pictures taken with the twins.
“It is very unusual for both twins to do so well after twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome and that laser surgery procedure, so an outcome such as ours brings happiness to doctors and nurses,” Jason said.
“From July to September of 2016 we had probably about 25 to 30 appointments in Sioux Falls. So we got to know nurses and ultrasound techs very well.”
The Cunninghams today are grateful for answered prayers for their babies’ health, but they’re still praying for sleep.
“Sawyer slept 5 hours last night, so there’s hope,” Jason said last week, adding that it will only matter when both babies do that at the same time.
The full story about the Cunningham twins and their miracle birth first appeared in the Nov. 3, 2016, Star Herald.
It can be found in the archives online at www.star-herald.com.