See the moment twins who were separated in the NICU reunite … and instantly hug
After being separated for five days in the NICU, two premature twins reunited in the most adorable way — with a hug.
The twins' mom, 26-year-old Meghan Huston, vividly recalls that moment.
"It was pretty amazing," Huston tells TODAY.com. "I sat down and (the nurse) put Declan on me. Then, when she put River on me and he put his arm around Declan, I was like: 'Oh my gosh, this is the cutest thing ever.'"
Huston's husband, who raced to the hospital from work so he wouldn't miss his sons' reunion, recorded the newborns' first act of brotherly love.
"You hear about how twins have bonds, but to actually see it in person? It was unreal," Huston says.
The video of the twins reuniting is now on YouTube, and to date has been viewed more than 2 million times.
'I just wanted to see them'
Huston was 32 weeks pregnant went she went into labor.
"I was sitting on a little stool, helping (my son) go to the bathroom," the mom of three says. "When I went to stand up from the stool, my water broke."
After a quick outfit change, Huston rushed to the nearby hospital, was admitted and prepared to give birth via C-section.
"I was so scared because everything was going so fast and I just prepared myself to make it to 37 weeks," Huston, who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, says. "I've never had a C-section before and, you know, it was still early."
One twin, Declan, was born at 6:04 pm. The other, River, was born one minute later.
"They took the babies straight out (of the room)," Huston says. "I was crying, telling my husband I just wanted to see them because all I could see was a blue drape."
After a quick assessment, the twins were brought to the recovery room so Huston could at least see them before they were transported to the NICU.
"I was kind of relieved, because I was glad not to be pregnant anymore. But it was also scary, because they were a lot smaller than my other son — they were 3 pounds 11 ounces and 3 pounds 14 ounces," Huston says.
"They had a lot more wires and stuff on them," she continues. "I was sad that I didn't get to hold them until the next day. I just carried them and suddenly I couldn't even touch them."
The twins spent a total of 20 days in the NICU — five of them in separate incubators. It was after the fifth day that they were finally reunited and in their mother's arms at the same time.
"Ever since I found out I was pregnant with twins, I wanted to hold them together," Huston says. "I don't know if awestruck is the right word but, but my heart was filled with so much love for them."
'Our two babies'
Declan and River are now 3 months old and going through a growth spurt, meaning Huston is not sleeping more than an hour at a time while also caring for her 3-year-old son.
Still, she is so thankful for her sons and the moment they were reunited — a moment she didn't think she'd ever experience after a recent pregnancy loss.
"I had a miscarriage in July and found out I was pregnant again in August," Huston says. "The night before I took a test, I saw a double rainbow. I was pessimistic at the time, because I was very discouraged, so I thought that meant that I was probably going to have another miscarriage."
Huston was only three weeks along when she found out she was pregnant. Shortly after, she started bleeding and, once again, assumed the worst.
"I went to the emergency room thinking that I was having a miscarriage," she says. "They did an ultrasound, found two yolk sacs, and said: 'It's early, but right now it looks like you have identical twins.'
"I just burst out laughing," Huston adds. "I made the ultrasound tech show me the ultrasound because I didn't believe him. My husband's first reaction was: 'I need to get another job.'"
Huston says it was overwhelming to go to the hospital believing she was losing a pregnancy, only to find out she was pregnant with twins.
"I told my husband: 'You know that double rainbow we saw? It was our two babies.'"
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
