Zoe Saldana has revealed that as a new mother she felt helpless after giving birth prematurely to her twin sons last November.
The actress, 37, admitted to People magazine that it was tough for her and husband Marco Perego to have to see their infants placed in the neonatal intensive care unit at a LA hospital.
‘My husband and I were at the mercy of our nurses and doctors,’ the Avatar actress said. ‘Our children’s lives depended on their every move.”
Ten months later, the boys Cy and Bowie are thriving and growing fast.
On Tuesday, the Avatar actress shared a photo of the twins standing up holding onto the sides of their playpen dressed in onesies and with their backs to the camera.
The traumatic experience introduced Saldana to the complexities and needs of premature babies and the equipment and technology that is required to keep them alive and aid their development.
‘When children are born prematurely, they don’t just need to be held,’ she told People. ‘They need assistance breathing, feeding and going to the bathroom. They also need incubators to protect them while they’re forming immune systems. This equipment can mean the difference between life and death for a child, that’s just the truth. If a child can’t breathe and doesn’t have the equipment to help him breathe we can’t help him with our own hands.’ She continued.
So Saldana has decided to become involved in the nonprofit organization Brave Beginnings, that strives to make sure that hospitals have the resources they need to care for preemies.
In addition to caring for her babies, Saldana is also juggling several work projects all at the same time.
She has major roles in three of the new millennium’s biggest franchises, Avatar, Star Trek and Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, all of which are lining up sequels that will keep her busy into 2019.
Last week, she signed with DreamWorks Animation to produce content for Awestruck, AwesomenessTV’s soon-to-launch network and lifestyle brand targeting millennial moms, according to The Wrap.
Cinestar, the production company Saldana runs with her sisters Mariel and Cisely, will executive produce two series and create a YouTube Channel for Awestruck, which is due to debut in the fall. ‘With modern moms on-the-go and online, the opportunity to create content specifically for them is exciting,’ she said in a statement.