Six years ago, Bank of Butterfield employee Cherylle Swan-Simons was confronted with every mother-to-be's worst nightmare: the prospect of losing her babies during pregnancy.

Faced with a multitude of complications, many on the maternity ward at King Edward Memorial Hospital believed her twin boys would not survive. But on the advice of paediatrician Dr. Steven West, Mrs. Swan-Simons flew to Boston with her husband Derrick, where Cody and Daelen were eventually born only 24 weeks into the pregnancy.

It was an enormously difficult time for the couple, as they waited anxiously to see if their kids would make it through the first few days of life attached to a ventilator. At only one pound eight ounces each, the signs were far from promising.

"They were very small and very sick," she recalled. "Hour by hour they were in a crisis situation and it was touch and go whether they were going to make it.

"During that time they faced many health challenges, many of which the doctors felt would affect them for the rest of their lives if they survived."

Mrs. Swan-Simons (pictured) was also faced with a painful, unnatural dilemma. While bursting inside with love and admiration for her two "brave" boys fighting for their lives in the Boston hospital, she was also afraid to become overly-attached in case the worst was to happen.

"It was a very tough time for both of us," she said.

"Probably more so for me, I think, because I found it very hard to want to bond with them in case they didn't make it. I was very afraid of the negative side of the equation. But my husband was my rock because he was always positive and he truly believed that nothing bad was going to happen. So I guess that balanced the both of us out a bit."

The twins remained on ventilators for close to six weeks and soon began to show signs of strengthening. They remained in Boston for three and a half months, with Mrs. Swan-Simons renting an apartment and living full-time in the east-coast city and Mr. Simons coming and going as work commitments allowed.

With the twins' survival assured, the family returned home together, grateful that the living nightmare was finally over. But as with the majority of babies born premature, their home-coming was only the start of lengthy medical process.

After a three-month hiatus, the family was put in contact with Child Development Services who were charged with ensuring the twins developed at a healthy rate.

"We had a lot of dealings with [occupational and physiotherapy coordinator Sandra Thornhill," Mrs. Swan-Simons said.

"Sandra was absolutely wonderful and she came to our home to work with the kids and monitoring their physical development. She would watch them on the floor and massage their limbs to make sure they remained supple. Some premature children suffer from cerebral palsy so it was important to make sure their limbs were mobile and healthy. Given that they were so premature, they were obviously very small and were not developing at the same rate as other children. But Sandra was always there making sure they were fine.

"She has the type of personality which puts you at ease.

"Daelen in particular is a very quiet child and it takes a lot for him to warm up to anybody. But he loves his Miss Sandra and looks forward to going and seeing her."

Through the first few winters of the twins lives', they regularly suffered from minor bronchitis ? a common symptom of premature babies with vulnerable, underdeveloped lungs.

But apart from their weak eyes and the need to wear glasses ? another common feature of premature babies brought about by scarring on the retinas and the veins which feed them ? Cody and Daelen's health has exceeded everyone's expectations.

"They are tiny of course, but strong and fit nevertheless," said the proud mother.

"They are in P1 now and their teachers tell us that they are interacting very well with their peers and are actually performing above their level academically. So after all the initial worry, the situation has worked out very well."

As with all babies in Bermuda, at the age of two the twins were taken for an assessment at the designated Child Development Centre and were found to be in perfect health.

Nevertheless the check-ups continued, with regular visits both at home and their nursery school from a wide-range of specialists including occupational and speech therapists, physios and optometrists. And while Mrs. Swan-Simons conceded the attention can be a little overwhelming at times, she has been extremely impressed overall with the quality of baby healthcare provision in Bermuda.

"All the doctors and the specialists have been very accommodating in every way," she said.

"Child Development Service were there more or less from the beginning and we did not once feel neglected or that we needed to seek medical treatment overseas. And I've heard from other women as well that they are also very happy with the services provided. My husband sometimes says that they are a little over-interested at times. But to be honest I look at it as if they are doing their job professionally and I wouldn't have it any other way."