Baltimore mom finds second family at Deaconess NICU

April 16, 2022, was a day filled with unexpected firsts for Samantha “Sam” Williams. Just five months into her pregnancy with twins, she made a trip to the emergency department after experiencing early signs of labor.

That same day, she took her first flight when she was rapidly transported by helicopter from MultiCare Valley Hospital to MultiCare Deaconess Hospital after her nurse discovered she was 3 centimeters dilated.

Williams remembers the whirlwind of emotions as the nurse called for transport and a member of the team prepared her for takeoff.

“They started taking me upstairs, and he said ‘Look, I’m not going to let go of your hand at all. I’m going to hold your hand the entire ride,’” she remembers.

Within minutes, Williams arrived at Deaconess, where her fiance and mother-in-law were waiting. The doctor examined Williams before sharing the news — she was going to deliver twins Lorenzo and Layla at just 24 weeks gestation.

“The only thing I did was scream,” she recalls. “I wasn’t thinking I was going to have the babies that day.”

Lorenzo and Layla were delivered by cesarean section, both weighing less than 2 pounds. Because of their fragile state as micro-preemies — babies born weighing less than 1 pound, 12 ounces, or before 26 weeks — they were immediately taken to Deaconess Hospital’s donor-supported neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Supported by community generosity through the MultiCare Inland Northwest Foundation, the Level III NICU creates a supportive, low-stimulant atmosphere where babies born prematurely like Lorenzo and Layla or with serious health conditions can develop and thrive.

Finding a second family at Deaconess

For the next five months, the NICU became a second home for the family as Williams adapted to a new routine, visiting the unit daily to be with the twins. Along the way, she connected with a team dedicated to helping her little ones grow strong and healthy, including nurse manager Sarah Hurley, as well as NICU nurses Debra Mort, Erica Ziemer and Nate Cates.

“I was there every single day, all day long,” Williams shares. “As time went on, I got to meet different nurses and different people. There was a time where they thought Layla had caught meningitis. Her tube came out right in front of me, and they did her spinal tap right in front of me. And Sarah — I love her so much. She came in and told me it was OK, hugging me. Everybody was just making sure I was OK.”

Having moved from Baltimore, Maryland, to Spokane in 2015, many of Williams’ relatives were nearly 2,500 miles away. The twins’ care team stepped in to ensure she knew they were there to support and advocate for her, too.

“They really became a family to me, because all of my family is in Maryland,” she shares. “It was the best feeling ever to have that much support.”

At one point, Lorenzo was transferred to another hospital for six weeks to undergo a procedure that supports infants born with an opening between the aorta and pulmonary artery. While away, the Deaconess care team advocated for him to come back, reserving his spot right next to Layla.

“When he came back, one of the nurses had made him a sign and it said, ‘Welcome back Lorenzo,’” Williams says. “That day, I was so happy to have him back because I’d never held both of my babies at the same time. And they said, ‘Sam, we’re going to work on you holding both of them.’ I held both of my babies, and it was the best day ever.”

Growing strong and healthy

On Aug. 3, 2022, a day before the twin’s original due date, Layla finally came home. Her brother followed a month later on Sept. 16.

Now almost a year old, the twins are both healthy and happy with different yet complementary personalities — Lorenzo is quiet and calm, while Layla is feisty and cuddly.

To the Deaconess NICU team that supported Layla, Lorenzo and their parents, Williams has this message:

“Thank you for everything you did to get me through this process,” she says. “Thank you for being a family to me because my family isn’t here. And thank you for saving my babies.”