What It’s Like to Give Birth to Quadruplets + the First Weeks in the NICU

<p><strong>Sam Smith </strong>returns to <em><strong>Sense by Meg Faure</strong></em> to share the next chapter of her extraordinary journey: the birth of her four babies at just over 31 weeks and their first four weeks in the NICU.</p><p>Sam shares the emotional reality of her delivery, from her waters breaking in the middle of the night to a C-section involving a team of more than 20 medical professionals, followed by the weeks in the neonatal ICU.</p><p>Joining Meg and Sam is <strong>Professor Welma Lubbe</strong>, a neonatal nursing expert and Parent Sense advisor, who explains how prem babies experience the world through their senses, the importance of skin-to-skin contact and how parents can support their babies as they develop.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>IN THIS EPISODE YOU&#39;LL LEARN</strong></p><ul><li><p>What happened when Sam’s waters unexpectedly broke at just over 31 weeks pregnant</p></li><li><p>What a planned C-section for premature quads looks like</p></li><li><p>What to expect when their babies are admitted to the neonatal ICU</p></li><li><p>Why the period between birth and being able to hold your baby can be so emotionally difficult</p></li><li><p>How skin-to-skin contact supports bonding, breastfeeding and regulation</p></li><li><p>What premature babies need from their sensory environment</p></li><li><p>Why light, sound, touch, smell and temperature matter so much for prem babies</p></li><li><p>How parents can recognise signs that their baby is becoming overwhelmed</p></li><li><p>How smell can be used to create familiarity and comfort in the NICU</p></li><li><p>How breastfeeding and expressing can work when babies are too premature to feed fully at the breast</p></li><li><p>What parents can do to prepare prem babies for the transition from tube feeding to breast or bottle feeding</p></li><li><p>What factors doctors consider before a premature baby is ready to go home</p></li><li><p>Why parents&#39; confidence and readiness are also important parts of the transition home</p></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>CHAPTERS</strong></p><p>00:00 Welcome back, Sam</p><p>01:04 Meet Professor Welma Lubbe</p><p>03:43 The night Sam’s waters broke</p><p>05:08 Arriving at hospital and preparing for delivery</p><p>07:30 The quads arrive at just over 31 weeks</p><p>08:33 Inside the operating theatre: a team of more than 20</p><p>13:33 The first days in the NICU</p><p>15:30 The emotional experience of not being able to hold your babies</p><p>18:22 Skin-to-ski