OVERLAND PARK, Ks. — The path to motherhood isn't always easy, as one Kansas City area doctor knows. Her twin girls were born as micropreemies at 22.5 weeks.
"My 40 week due date was February 10th of 2022, and these baby girls were born on October 11th of 2021," Dr. Jamesia Donato, the mother of the twins, said.
Donato's two daughters, Lola and Nala, are now seven months old.
"They're talking. They're trying to roll," Donato said.
The journey to get to this point was not easy. Her twins spent nearly five months in the newborn intensive care unit at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
"I really think the care I got before my babies were born really impacted their outcome," Donato said.
Earlier in the process, at 19 weeks, a different doctor said her cervix was dilated and that she either needed to have a medically-induced abortion or wait and see if she would end up going into labor far too early.
"Hearing those words, that your cervix is dilated to like a three or four... they were so small at that point," Donato said.
She decided to get a second opinion from some of her new colleagues. To preserve the young neonatologist's pregnancy and save her babies' lives, a doctor performed a complex surgery.
Donato then spent almost a month in a specialized unit for high-risk mothers before having her twins.
"It is nerve-wracking of course, having another physician of course, but I just look at it, you know, everyone is the same, these small miracles need my care," Dr. Amy Sorrels, an OB/GYN at Overland Park Regional Medical Center, said.
The babies were born at just 14 and 15 ounces. Their parents said they could fit in the palm of their hands.
"It's hard to believe that they came from such small babies and now they're thriving and both almost 10 pounds," Dwayne Denato, the father of the twins, said.
The latest data from the CDC shows around 10% of babies in Kansas are born pre-term. In Missouri, it's almost 11%.
With Mother's Day this weekend, it will be extra special for the family.
"They have a purpose on this earth because they made it and we just have to make sure we help them achieve that purpose and reach those goals," Donato said.
