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Five sets of twins sets record for Joondalup’s Special Care Nursery

Nov 17, 2023

Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) recently had the pleasure of caring for five sets of twins simultaneously in its Special Care Nursery, which is believed to be a record for the 16-cot nursery.

Joondalup Health Campus’ Special Care Nursery supports babies who need a little extra help to grow strong enough to go home with their families, including babies born between 32 and 36 weeks, which is considered premature.

Head of Department Dr Ravisha Srinivasjois said today is World Prematurity Day and while all pregnant patients are supported to take their babies to full term, around one in 10 births worldwide are premature for a range of reasons.

“We are extremely proud of our Special Care Nursery team who deliver incredible care to these precious little bubs and wrap around care to support their parents at such a stressful time,” said Dr Srinivasjois.

“Every little one is so very precious and our recent influx of twins into the nursery was quite unique,” he said.

Last financial year more than 2,800 babies were born at JHC. Two hundred and twenty were premature, and were cared for in the Special Care Nursery which has grown from eight to 16 cots over the last decade. They can be treated for a range of issues such as breathing difficulties, feeding problems, inability to maintain body temperature, digestive issues and maintaining oxygen levels in their blood.

The twins included six boys and four girls and the smallest weighed in at just 1.78 kg and was also born the earliest of the group at 33 weeks.

Mother of twins Kalea and Keanu born at 36 weeks and six days, Jelena Tontick (pictured far right with husband Greg Ranga) said they had a great experience.

“The nurses were absolutely great and I learned a lot. They explained everything to me- all the basics to help the babies grow,” she said.

Keanu needed some breathing support and both twins were able to go home after a week.