Daddy's double delight
A Greensborough dad has celebrated Father's Day early with a double delight.
Ben Carter was finally able to have a cuddle with his premature twins, Lana and Chloe, who reached a milestone birthday today, just fifty days young.
"I couldn't believe it was really happening, ..... so yes a big day for me I guess," Ben said.
The girls were born early when baby Chloe experienced flow problems with her umbilical artery.
Mum, Rowena, said: "At 25 weeks we were told they were ready to come out."
They were born at 28 weeks at the Mercy Hospital for Women, weighing just over 900 and 1000 grams.
"They need constant observations, they're on monitors, they've got little ECG leads on them, SAP probes on them, and they need help with keeping warm," nurse Theresa Arnold explained.
The twins have doubled their body weight, and today they were finally both allowed out of their incubators to have a double cuddle with their daddy.
Ben says the responsibility of being a dad is just sinking in.
"I just feel like a little kid, and all of a sudden I'm in charge of little kids, its kinda scary," he said.
Sunday will be one of the busiest days of the year for the Mercy's neonatal nursery, with 48 young preterm babies expecting visits from their doting dads.
Ben will be among those dads, as he comes to terms with his new life changing role.
"I can't exactly explain how, but the whole world is a whole different place now," he said.
