Mom of conjoined twins shares details of heartache, love
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — A mother who gave birth to conjoined twins in Denver last week is sharing more details on the complicated birth.
Amber McCullough of Hastings, Minn., called the past week "enormously painful, terrifying, and all the while filled with love" as she said goodbye to one of her twin girls, Olivia, whose heart was unsalvageable, having only a single ventricle.
On her GoFundMe page, the 31-year-old McCullough writes that her surviving daughter, Hannah, is "critical but stable. She lost her whole blood volume three times over during the surgery." McCullough said Hannah's heart stopped once during the surgery from the massive blood loss, from the separation of the fused liver shared by both babies.
The twins were born Aug. 26 at the Colorado Fetal Care Center via cesarean section at 32 weeks, and were subsequently separated during a five hour surgery. They were conjoined from mid-chest to pelvis.
Hannah is on a special ventilator for premature babies and has struggled with fluid in her lungs, low blood pressure, and jaundice. McCullough said Hannah was recently placed on a feeding tube, and is showing positive signs of cognition.
"She is very much aware who her mommy is. She hears my voice and looks for me. The nurses can tell (by) the response in her vitals when she sees me and hears me. Her pulse decreases if it's high, she squeezes my hand, and she refuses to let go of my hand especially (if) the nurses are performing their regular cares on her at the time. She responds well when I read to her," said McCullough.
McCullough writes about the emotional tug of war as she mourned the loss of Olivia at the same time.
"In my room, I was with Olivia much of the time. I held her, kissed her forehead, and slept next to her bassinet. The medical staff were all very kind and took the time to wrap her in a presentable way for me to hold her. I cherished every moment ... with her. On Sunday morning I was discharged and the funeral home came and took her away for the last time. I don't have the words nor do I think they exist to adequately describe the heart ache. I will always love her, always protect her memory, and never forget what a beautiful I have in heaven," wrote McCullough.
McCullough said doctors decided to keep all four of their kidneys in Hannah, two of which are functional. She writes about her faith in the medical team at the Colorado Fetal Care Center, as Hannah shows signs of strength, even responding to breast milk, but remains "very critical."
In an interview with KUSA-TV before the birth of Hannah and Olivia, McCullough said, " If I had my way, I'd keep them together if they both could live. But it's not possible. I wish it were. If they stay together, they'll both pass."
In her post Monday, she wrote, "I believe in the word and I believe in the power of prayer. Prayer, the power in the word, and the amazing talent of the medical professionals here is a recipe for life in Hannah's case. I believe all those things have taken us this far which is a very long ways already with all things considered. So, thank you for all those prayers!!!" McCullough said.
"My new ideal life is simple. All I want is for both my children to be home and healthy, to cuddle and read them bed time stories, and to pray with them each night … a moment I'm confident we will feel Olivia with us each night," she wrote.
Contributing: Kyle Dyer, KUSA-TV, Denver.
