Premature Twins Thrive with Level IV NICU Care at Oklahoma Children’s
When Steffany and Ryan Decker found out they were expecting, the news came as a complete surprise. At 38, Steffany assumed she might be entering early menopause, not preparing for motherhood again.
“I honestly thought I was pre-menopausal,” she said with a laugh. “I started feeling sick, but pregnancy never crossed my mind. We already had a 20-year-old, an 18-year-old, and a 5-year-old.”
When Steffany told her husband, Ryan, that she thought she might be pregnant, he couldn’t believe it either. He dropped everything, ran to the store, and returned with three pregnancy tests.
“They were all positive,” she said. “He was thrilled. I just sat there in disbelief.”
But the surprises didn’t end there.
Twice the Blessing
When Steffany was told she was carrying twins, she was stunned.
“I spent two or three weeks in total shock,” she said. “I just kept repeating, ‘I can’t believe we’re having twins.’ It was exciting but terrifying too. Two babies meant double the bottles, double the diapers, double everything.”
Twins didn’t run closely in the family, or so they thought. But as word spread, relatives began revealing generations of twins on both sides.
“We joked that someone should have warned us before we got married,” Steffany said.
A High-Risk Pregnancy
Because of her age and the fact that she was carrying twins, Steffany’s pregnancy was considered high risk from the start.
She worked closely with her obstetrician and a maternal-fetal medicine specialist in Lawton, attending frequent ultrasounds and check-ups. For several months, everything looked promising. But around 26 weeks, complications began.
“My placenta sat really low, and then my cervix started opening,” she said. “They put me on medication to slow preterm labor. I was borderline diabetic, so we were keeping an eye on that, too.”
By Mother’s Day weekend, she began spotting. Ryan left for work briefly that morning, but Steffany soon noticed mucus and heavier bleeding.
“Something didn’t feel right,” she recalled. “We decided to go get checked, just to be safe.”
At Memorial Health System of Southwest Oklahoma (MHS), doctors confirmed Steffany was in preterm labor. Despite medications, magnesium, and bed rest, contractions continued for more than 30 hours. Physicians prepared to transfer her by ambulance to Oklahoma Children’s OU Health, but before transport could arrive, everything changed.
“I finally started to rest, and then I sneezed three times,” she said. “On the third sneeze, my water broke. They had to perform an emergency C-section right there in Lawton.”
Welcome, Everly and Haisley
On Mother’s Day 2025, Everly and Haisley Decker entered the world at 29 weeks’ gestation, each weighing just over 2 pounds, 11 ounces. The premature twins’ delivery and stabilization were overseen by a neonatal specialist from Oklahoma Children’s working in-house at MHS. Oklahoma Children’s has been providing intermediate level NICU coverage at MHS for more than 10 years.
Within hours, Everly and Haisley were transported to Oklahoma Children’s by Air Kids One, the state’s only dedicated neonatal transport program.
“Seeing them so tiny was overwhelming,” Steffany said. “They were beautiful but so fragile.”
When the newborns arrived at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), both girls required immediate respiratory support and specialized care. They battled common complications of prematurity, including feeding difficulties, low birth weight, and bilirubin instability.
Everly faced additional challenges. She was diagnosed with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) — a common condition in premature infants in which a blood vessel that bypasses the fetal lungs fails to close after birth, allowing extra blood to flood the heart and lungs. Fortunately, the problem corrected itself. She later developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a dangerous intestinal condition that can require surgery.
“We were preparing ourselves for surgery, but thankfully, we caught the NEC early,” Steffany said. “Antibiotics cleared the infection before it perforated [the intestine], and Everly didn’t need surgery after all. We were so blessed.”
71 Days in the NICU
Steffany and Ryan quickly learned why NICU parents call the experience a roller coaster.
“One day you get good news; the next day something changes,” she said. “It’s constant ups and downs. You learn to take it one hour at a time.”
Steffany stayed at the Ronald McDonald House nearby Oklahoma Children’s for the entire 71-day stay, while Ryan split his time between home, work, and the hospital. Their 5-year-old son joined them for a few weeks, and the family enjoyed spending time together at The Zone, a 6,000-square-foot play-and-learn center in the hospital. Developed by Child Life Specialists, the fun, educational, and therapeutic activities provide essential support to families.
“I’d get up in the morning and go straight to the NICU,” Steffany said. “I’d stay until I was starving, eat, pump, and go right back. Those nurses and doctors became like family.”
As the weeks went by, the couple developed deep relationships with the care team.
“We had the best doctors,” Steffany said. “The residents and nurses took so much time to explain everything. They never made us feel rushed. I left a notebook in the girls’ room for staff to write in and every nurse wrote paragraphs of encouragement. It’s one of my most treasured keepsakes.”
The twins made steady progress. Haisley was weaned off oxygen first, followed by Everly a few weeks later. By mid-July, both were thriving.
Haisley was discharged on July 19, and Everly followed two days later on July 21.
Coming Home
Leaving the NICU was bittersweet. Steffany was thrilled but terrified.
“In the hospital, the twins were surrounded by monitors and alarms,” she said. “At home, it’s just quiet. I watched them breathe constantly. I even bought baby oxygen monitors for peace of mind.”
Social workers from the Oklahoma Infant Transition Program at Oklahoma Children’s provided essential support to help the family transition successfully from the NICU to home.
The transition was emotional, but with each passing week, fear gave way to confidence.
“Now they’re strong, healthy, and full of personality,” she said. “They laugh, they smile, they light up every room. It’s exhausting sometimes, but it’s wonderful.”
Gratitude for Oklahoma Children’s OU Health
Steffany says she’ll never forget the kindness, skill, and compassion of the team who cared for her twins and looked after her and her family.
“Everyone, from the doctors and nurses to the front-desk staff, treated us like family,” she said. “They answered every question, no matter how small, and celebrated every milestone with us.”
The experience deepened her appreciation for the care available so close to home.
“I come from a nursing family, and I’ve seen a lot of hospitals,” she said. “But Oklahoma Children’s is different. They don’t just care for the babies — they care for the parents, too. You can feel that every day.”
Today, Everly and Haisley are 9 months old and thriving. Steffany said this is proof of medical excellence and God’s grace.
“We were so fortunate,” she said. “The girls fought so hard, and the OU Health team never stopped fighting for them, either. We’ll be grateful for the rest of our lives.”
Why Choose Oklahoma Children’s OU Health for NICU Care
At Oklahoma Children’s OU Health, our Level IV NICU offers the most comprehensive, longest-accredited neonatal intensive care in Oklahoma. Every baby’s treatment plan is guided by a highly specialized team — including neonatologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, cardiology experts, nutritionists, child life and more — all working together with advanced technology and compassionate, family-centered care.
When your newborn needs the highest level of care, trust the team with decades of experience and the most resources in the state. Learn more about our NICU as well as pregnancy and childbirth services at Oklahoma Children’s.
