One-month-old identical twins Alaina and Annalise were already lifting their heads and even trying to roll over, said their mother, Saisha Cardoza, who delivered the babies at just 34 weeks.
The twins were born at Tufts Medical Center, delivered by Sabrina Craigo, MD, Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine—the same doctor who delivered Cardoza 33 years ago. Like her own pregnancy, Cardoza’s mother’s pregnancy was considered high-risk.
When Cardoza was born at 26 weeks, she weighed just 1 pound, 12 ounces and spent months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) before she was healthy enough to go home.
Fast forward three decades, and it was Cardoza’s mother who encouraged her to reach out to Dr. Craigo.
“She helped my mom give birth to me, and I was told I had a high-risk pregnancy,” said Cardoza. “(My mom) told me how wonderful Dr. Craigo was… and Dr. Craigo did a great job delivering me, and how calm she was, and how helpful she was, and just her demeanor was just overall great about everything.”
To Cardoza’s surprise, Dr. Craigo was still practicing more than 30 years later.
“My mom recommended me to her, and I looked her up, and she was still there, and I booked my appointment with her,” said Cardoza. “This is my first pregnancy, my first set of twins, and my first kids, and it was a smooth ride. It was very great even when times got hard… Dr. Craigo was always there and let me know everything was going to be OK.”
Cardoza said that learning she was having identical twins added to her worries, but Dr. Craigo walked her through every step, helping her feel prepared and reassured. Identical twins are relatively rare—occurring once in every 250 pregnancies, or roughly 3 to 4 per 1,000 births globally.
“She explained every single detail, what can happen, and she reassured me that everything was going to go good,” she said.
The twins were born on August 2. Annalise arrived first via vaginal delivery, but Alaina, who was face down, had to be delivered by emergency C-section. It all happened within 20 minutes.
“Dr. Craigo was great through it all. I don’t know what I would do without her,” said Cardoza.
Cardoza’s pregnancy was considered high-risk for multiple reasons: her age, the fact that the girls were mono-di twins—meaning they shared one placenta—and Alaina’s growth restriction, which increased the risk of complications. Mono-di twins share the same blood supply, which can lead to serious issues without close monitoring.
Even though the circumstances were nerve-wracking, Cardoza said Dr. Craigo helped her feel calm and supported every step of the way.
“Just being around Dr. Craigo, I never felt calm with somebody and trusted somebody right so much like away, she made me feel safe, and I knew that if anything, I was going to be OK,” she said. “Afterwards, when I was able to process everything, I was like ‘Wow, that was kind of crazy.’”
Alaina, born at 4 pounds, 5 ounces, spent a week in the NICU to practice breathing and gain weight. Annalise, born slightly bigger at 4 pounds, 9 ounces, stayed with Cardoza in the hospital.
“Alaina is doing great now, she’s big,” said Cardoza. “They’re in good condition. Thank God everything went great. I hope my story can help somebody in the future. Dr. Craigo is just wonderful; she deserves her flowers, she deserves recognition,” said Cardoza. “She’s just a great woman overall and very good at what she does.”
