More than five weeks after her twin sons’ births, mom Jenny Larson finally gets what she's been waiting for—She can take both her preemie sons, Zakary and Riley, home to Eleva for the first time.

“I started contractions early. I was on bed rest at 19 weeks, and at 30 weeks they decided they were going to come," Larson says.

Larson says one of her older children was also born premature, and so she understood the complications her sons were facing after being born 10 weeks early.

“I was warned for it,” she says, rocking her babies. “The doctor told me I probably wouldn’t' make it past 32 weeks."

But none of the hospitals in Eau Claire have a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Premature infants, and sometimes their mothers, must be air-lifted to other medical centers in the region.

“The neonatal team from Rochester came and took them there," says Larson. She says the boys were there for the first ten days, and she was able to visit them once she was discharged from the hospital.

Larson says her family was fortunate to have dedicated family, friends and babysitters to take care of their older son and daughter during the time the twins were in Rochester. But, she imagines having parents and children in separate locations during the first days of a new baby’s life could put a strain on families.

Luther Midelfort says the cost of hiring neo-natal specialists and support staff is too high, even with increasing numbers of preemies over the last decade. Doctors say the neo-natal crew from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester can make the trip to Eau Claire in 20 minutes, if needed.

Luther Midelfort and Sacred Heart Hospitals say they both have the capabilities to care for infants 34 weeks and older. However, Sacred Heart says it has not seen an increase in preemies.

Research by the March of Dimes shows more than 12 percent of babies nationwide are born premature. And while local statistics aren't that high, doctors say preemies have been a growing trend.

“There's a lot more multiple gestation and families having children later, that put people at risk for premature birth,” says pediatrician Dr. Gregg Kishaba.

Pediatricians at Luther Midelfort say the success rate for the at-risk babies has also increased, due to advances in preemie care.

“Babies back then that would not have survived now are surviving," says Kishaba.

Larson says she has even noticed advancements in how her new babies are cared for, in comparison to what she observed when her first premature child was born.

And Larson says the extra care her family gets, makes the tiny miracles she holds in her arms even more precious.

For the full study by the March of Dimes, visit https://www.marchofdimes.com/files/66423_MOD-Complete.pdf?src=mod.com