Nearly a decade after losing twin babies born prematurely, Dana Naor gave birth to a healthy daughter with support from the medical team that fought to save the lives of her first-born son and daughter.
Nine years after losing their eldest children – a set of fraternal boy-girl twins born prematurely, Yigal Naor (47) and his wife Dana (40) recently became proud parents after Dana gave birth to a healthy daughter at Rambam Health Care Campus. Among those staff members present during the birth were representatives of the hospital's Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, which was the same team that fought for the twins' lives for many months a decade ago, without success. As a result of the connection that was made, the couple started a tradition that has continued for many years – at every birth, staff members from Rambam’s NICU—who have become part of the Naor family—are present. “We came out of this traumatic experience strengthened," shares Yigal. “Since then, we have had three daughters who were born at Rambam. Whoever was with us in the beginning is still with us today. They are an integral part of the sadness and the joy.”
The couple's first pregnancy was classified as high-risk, and the grave concerns for the twins were realized when Dana gave birth during the 25th week of her pregnancy. The babies were hospitalized in Rambam's NICU. Their son died ten days later, while the NICU team fought for his sister's life for eight-and-a-half months, until she died of an infection in December of that year. Since then, the couple has been in Rambam’s delivery room three times, bringing three healthy babies into the world.
"We called our first daughter ‘Yuval, but didn’t manage to name her twin brother before he died,” recalls Yigal. “A year later Agam was born, two years later, Tahel was born, and now Adi – a gift for my 47th birthday. Rambam is where we experienced everything. In the NICU, in the delivery room, in the operating rooms, in the nursery, and in the inpatient departments there are people who are an integral part of our story. They have been with us the whole time.”
Dr. Ori Hochwald, Deputy Director of the NICU, remembers the moment when the relationship with the family began. “I arrived at Rambam in 2012, shortly after the son passed away. For many months we fought for the daughter's life and accompanied the couple, who entered our hearts. I was the one who had to inform them of the daughter's death. The way they dealt with this difficult tragedy moved us all. Since then, we have stayed in touch, and when they asked us to come for the latest birth, there was no doubt at all that we would be there.”
Moments after Adi Naor was born, members of the extended family from the NICU, Dr. Hochwald and Nurse Sasha Tamin, came to be with the Naors, hugging the little baby and holding a sign that read, “Congratulations Yigal and Dana! Love you, Sasha, Ori and the entire NICU staff.”
Dr. Ori Hochwald and Nurse Sasha Tamin holding newborn Adi Naor in the delivery room.
Photography: Rambam HCC