One of the babies was dying until they put her sister in the same incubator.
Medical practice sometimes requires going through extreme situations to be able to climb one more step. Brielle and Kyrie Jackson, sisters who were born prematurely at 7 months of pregnancy, were one of these cases in 1995.
Both were born on October 17th, and, at that time, US protocol required that the sisters be placed in different ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀs so that they did not have contact and thus avoid any ɪɴꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
However, as Kyrie got stronger and gained weight, her sister started to show signs of breathing problems. Her oxygen level was low, and she did not gain weight.
On the 12th of November, Brielle’s situation took a turn for the worse. Her little arms and legs started to turn blue as she tried to breathe. His heart rate sᴋʏʀᴏᴄᴋᴇᴛᴇᴅ, and his family, with tears in their eyes, prepared for the worst.
Doctors tried all known measures, but the baby’s condition did not improve. It was then that the nurse Gayle Kasparian sought out the family and asked permission to try a method known in Europe but still almost unknown in the US: putting the two sisters in the same ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀ.
Soon after the parents authorized it, the girls were placed next to each other. With what little strength she had, Brielle bonded with her sister, and her heart began to stabilize.
Within minutes, ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴏxʏɢᴇɴ levels were rising. However, the most touching thing would come later: while Brielle started to sleep, her sister stretched out her arm until she was completely embracing her. This caused little Brielle’s body temperature to rise to normal.
After she was discharged, her parents continued with the therapy, putting the sisters in the same crib. The health of both continued to improve. Even five years later, they were still sharing the same bed.
Kyrie’s “Rescuing Hug” (“Rescuing Hug,” as it became known) caught the attention of the media as well as doctors studying the effectiveness of this method to treat premature twins.
Thus, the University of Massachusetts analyzed more than 100 cases of babies who were born prematurely and shared the incubator with their brother, and in all of them, the doctors did not find a single report of infection among the newborns.
Today, sisters Brielle and Kyrie continue to share the same bond and closeness that saved the life of the weakest of them at birth.