I'm not a clairvoyant. I did not have a premonition that my children would be born early.

However, I knew.

Many moms find themselves surprised by their early delivery and subsequent NICU stay, but I knew it was coming for weeks and months ahead of time. I knew that IF we made it to a viable stage of pregnancy that we would be delivering our little ones at some point before 32 weeks.

I was having twins and while that can often lead to a preterm birth, my twins were not your typical twins. They were a 1% chance, kind of twin. Monoamniotic-Monochorionic Twins to be super specific. MoMo Twins for those of us who have lived that journey.

What all of this means is our twins were late splitting and shared the same amniotic sac. They had skin-to-skin contact and could wrestle in the womb, if they so chose.

Which they did.

At the time, I thought it was so sweet, but I also knew the immense danger they were in by sharing the same space.

You see, most twins split early and 'on time' to get their own little safe haven from one another. They get a little sac that protects their cords from tangling and compressing together.

Not my two little spitfires, they took their time splitting. As a result, they shared a space where, as they got older, they were in more danger of a cord accident.

Every time I felt those tell-tale flutters, kicks and big movements — the joy was always coupled with fear.

Always.

Would they tangle up? Would their cords be pinched or compressed because they were just doing what babies do in the womb? Would I hear bad news the next time we went in for a scan?

Typically, once you hit a viable stage in your momo pregnancy, you are offered choices for monitoring. I was told I could enter the hospital as early as 24 weeks where they could monitor us closely, and take us for immediate delivery if the need arose.

Monitoring varies from place to place. For me, I was given the choice of 24-hour monitoring or a routine 4, 6 or 8 hour schedule. I chose 24-hour monitoring with the exception of a shower break. After a hellish hospital entry at 23 weeks for preterm labor, I wasn't about to take any chances. And, I am so grateful it was an option.

According to the Mayo Clinic, these are the stages of premature birth:

• Late preterm, born between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy
• Moderately preterm, born between 32 and 34 weeks of pregnancy
• Very preterm, born at less than 32 weeks of pregnancy
• Extremely preterm, born at or before 25 weeks of pregnancy

Our goal was to get to the 'moderately premature' stage — at 32 weeks. If they sat tight and had no cord issues, we would deliver via c-section at the 32 week mark. Statistically, in our case, it was safer at that point for our girls outside of the womb.

We were hoping we would get beyond the extremely preterm stage, but when we entered the hospital at 23 weeks we were definitely in that window. Thankfully, our doctors were able to get my contractions under control and we made it five more weeks.

It might seem odd that we were 'thankful' to make it to the 'very preterm' stage or even 'moderately preterm' had we gotten to that point, but it really was our best case scenario. From the time their egg split, their fate was sealed, and so was ours. For better or worse, we were on a journey that meant a premature birth.

We were told around 12 weeks that we were on this path. And, for the next three months, we waited and hoped to make it to a viable stage of pregnancy. At that point, I lived in a hospital bed, hooked up to monitors and medication for five weeks.

It was no easy feat, but it was worth it.

On Christmas Eve morning, our doctor came in to see us for a normal visit. Except, this time, he wasn't happy as he watched our monitors. I had just taken my 1-hour daily break for a shower. It was the only time during the day where I felt normal. But in that one hour, everything changed and our girls weren't well.

By 2 p.m. that day, they were born at 2lbs 11 oz and 2lbs 14 oz. I'll never forget how they looked in those early days.

So frail, so different from my first child who was a little plump thing at 8lbs 9oz — fully baked.

The journey that followed is much the same as other parents with preemies. We all take it one day, one hour and sometimes one minute at a time. We are all tortured by the same things - the unknowns. The days spent in the NICU at our child's bed side listening to the beeps and alarms hoping that we'll make it through.

Every moment with them in our arms is pure joy, but it's limited.

Everyday with a premature baby is a crap shoot. One day they are rockin' and rollin', the next they have a setback that pulls you back into the reality that they may not make it.

For us, we were fortunate. Both of our girls came home. They are thriving and about to celebrate their 8th birthday.

Their fighting spirits are still a part of their norm. They are full of light, love and a whole lot of spunk. I have no doubt it's because of how they began.

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