They say sometimes miracles come in pairs. And that’s exactly how Kacy and Nicholas Sallusto, from Delray Beach, Florida, feel about their twin daughters, Sapphira and Kaiya. After struggles with infertility, the couple learned in May 2014 that their first attempt of in vitro fertilization (IVF) was successful. Kacy says, “I really feel like everything worked out the way it was supposed to, and these girls were meant to be ours all along. It’s so hard to have faith when dealing with infertility but I am so thankful that we never gave up.”
Born Too Soon
Kacy ended up delivering the girls at 30 weeks, 5 days. She had spent almost a week in the hospital being treated with fluids, magnesium and steroids for early labor. 
Contractions did stop, but then labor started again and progressed quickly. To Kacy’s relief, both arrived, as she described, “screaming”; Sapphira at 3 pounds 2 ounces and Kaiya at 3 pounds 1 ounce. Because of their prematurity, the twins were admitted into the NICU at Boca Regional Hospital. As an NICU nurse, Kacy knew one of the biggest threats her girls faced was necrotizing enterocolitis. Also known as NEC, the life threatening condition affects the intestines of premature infants. Occurrences of NEC are greatly reduced through breastfeeding. Kacy explains, “I knew that human milk was the best and only nutrition my girls would get.”
Advocating for Donor Milk
However, as is typical with many premature deliveries, Kacy’s milk didn’t come in right away. She knew the next best option was donor milk, but had to overcome some obstacles to make it happen. She explains,
“I was getting a lot of pressure from the doctors and nurses to give my girls formula until my milk came in. I started researching milk banks and the closest one was Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. I called and spoke with the wonderful ladies there and relayed all the information to the neonatologist. I actually got a lot of resistance because they had never done it before. We ordered it and got it the next day! The best part about this is that now the NICU offers donor milk to their preemies.”
Gratitude Times Two
The twins were fed donor milk for about 3 days until Kacy’s milk came in. She says, “I know it played a major role in how well my girls did.” Today, the twins are healthy and growing and Kacy feels nothing but admiration for the moms who pump and donate their milk:
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, for providing human milk to the tiniest, most fragile humans who need it the most.”
For more information about milk banking or about how to become a donor, please visit our website.