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And neither has her husband, Dustin. Like other parents of twins, the couple has learned to cope with double diaper duty, middle-of-the-night feedings, around-the-clock nurturing and endless hours of sleeplessness. However, the Schneiders have had to cope with much more. Since the birth of twins Jaxon and Jaleigh on Jan 17, 2007, the Schneiders have had to become not only attentive parents, but downright miraculous pediatric healthcare providers.
Infection thought to be culprit
Doctors believe the problem didn’t start with either Jaxon or Jaleigh. It began with their mother, Jennifer, right before she delivered the babies, who were born 9 ½ weeks early. Shortly after the babies were born, doctors discovered they had "Group B" strep pneumonia. "Even though I tested negatively for it, they say I obviously had it," says Jennifer. "They think it’s why I went into pre-term labor."
However traumatic their early birth was, it may have been a good thing. "Doctors say they may not have survived had they not come early," says Jennifer.
But the strep infection—along with the babies’ resulting short stay in the womb--gave rise to other problems. Jaleigh had grade 3 brain hemorrhaging at birth and was diagnosed with cranial stenosis (early closure of one of the growth plates in the skull) and heart problems. She underwent multiple surgeries and finally went home from the hospital at three months of age with a "button" in her stomach allowing tube feedings.
Her brother was born with a grade 3 brain hemorrhage and breathing problems as well. He went home from the hospital at 2 ½ months of age with an oxygen tank to help him breathe. By June, he was breathing on his own and things were looking up.
"We thought everything was going well until one day in October, when we were away visiting Jennifer’s grandparents in Britton, South Dakota," says Dustin. "Jaxon’s chest was going up and down and he was breathing hard. We rushed him to the hospital, to find that his trachea was surrounded by this tissue that was almost choking it off. He had an emergency tracheotomy and was hospitalized for another month. Doctors said we were lucky to have caught it—and that the breathing tube he had at birth was the reason for it."
Growing up and leaving challenges behind
Despite their challenged beginning, the twins seem to be on the road to better health. Jaleigh is learning to adjust to the ingestion of food and has gotten rid of the pump that previously caused her feedings to stretch out well past an hour each. She still uses the "button", but her feedings take much less time. Jaxon still has respiratory issues (in February he contracted the RSV virus), so cannot attend the Early Head Start program that his sister attends. Instead, he attends an in-home daycare, where his chance of coming in contact with illness is less.
Their mother, who missed 13 months of work (she is a teacher at Washington Elementary in Jamestown) is now back in the classroom, and their father is still juggling his welding position at John Deere Seeding Group in Valley City with the demands of fatherhood.
Looking back, the Schneiders say they got through those trying first months of their children’s lives with a lot of help. Easter Seals provided respite care workers for up to 40 hours per week. Jennifer’s mother, who is a nurse practitioner, quit her job to help care for the twins and become one of four nurses hired by the Universal Pediatric Services to handle Jaxon’s special need for specialized trachea care.
The Schneiders say they especially appreciate the support and love they received from family and friends. "And the check from Operation Round Up was such a nice surprise," says Dustin. "You just never think you’ll be in a situation like this, but it happens. And you learn to deal with it."
