Twins born early, but safely, after mom's quick trip from Ellsworth to Portland

Andrea Faulkingham was 26 weeks into her first pregnancy when she started feeling what she thought might be contractions. She waited a bit to see if the pain disappeared, but when it continued, she began to feel somewhat anxious. Andrea lives on Beals Island with her husband, Jason, who comes from a long line of lobstermen. Since the nearest hospital, and Andrea’s midwife, were more than an hour’s drive away, the couple decided to play it safe. They headed to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth, and when she arrived, Andrea went straight to the maternity floor. Her midwife discovered she was definitely in labor and, despite efforts to stop the contractions, Andrea continued to progess. Everyone realized that if the labor continued, the tiny, underdeveloped twin boys were going to need specialized care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). What happened next, however, put the creative problem solving skills of the MCMH maternity staff to the test.

As doctors started making arrangements to move Andrea, they kept hearing the same answer. There were no beds available in any of the nearby NICUs. Meanwhile, staff also discovered there were no ground ambulances immediately available to transport Andrea. Just when it looked like all of the options had been exhausted, a bed became available at Maine Medical Center’s NICU. With Andrea’s labor continuing to progress at an alarming rate, ground transport to Portland was no longer an option. Doctors made the call for the LifeFlight crew, who were able to get Andrea to Maine Medical Center in just under 45 minutes.

Although the specialists in Portland also did their best to stop Andrea’s labor, twin boys Ethan and Nathan were born a little less than 8 hours later. At a scant 2 lbs apiece, there wasn’t much hope for the boys’ survival. Ethan and Nathan, however, proved they were made from hardy Maine stock as they continued to improve over the next 4 months. Once they were discharged, they never looked back. Today the boys are happy, healthy toddlers, exploring the world around them as they learn to walk and talk.

CREW MEMBERS
CommSpec Bill Bradley : Pilot Dave Burr
Nurse Donna Bulger : Paramedic Kevin Burkholder