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Erin and Emily met at St. David’s Medical Center while hospitalized for high-risk pregnancies last summer

The moms bonded over shared experiences and supported each other during their sons’ time in the NICU

One year later, they returned to the hospital with their sons to reunite with their care team

Two Texas-based moms are returning to the hospital that saved their sons — and made them best friends.

Erin and Emily welcomed their sons last year at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Tx. The two moms both had high-risk pregnancies and were admitted to the hospital last summer — Erin came at 22-and-a-half weeks pregnant after her water broke, and she remained hospitalized for weeks. She ultimately gave birth at 30 weeks after developing preeclampsia.

Emily was being closely observed at the hospital due to a serious issue with her placenta that was discovered during a routine ultrasound. She went on to give birth to her son Graham via cesarean section (C-section) the same day as Erin, just hours apart.

But the bond between the two moms was fostered before they even gave birth. When Emily was in the hospital, she asked nurses to introduce her to other moms on her floor. Kerry Ann Bambury, a registered nurse, introduced Emily to Erin, who was her next-door neighbor.

“Anytime we see a mom having a connection is a good thing because being in the NICU is really hard,” Christy Gentry, NICU director at St. David’s Medical Center, told CBS Austin.

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Although the two are different, they bonded over TV shows and the journey they were both going on in the hospital. Their support system became the way they navigated the uncertainty of having babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

“But Emily just walked in and was like, ‘Hi, I hear you’re here.’ And then we just kind of went from there, and then it kind of fell really naturally,” Erin said of meeting Emily.

Now one year later, Erin and Emily returned with their sons, Graham and Griffin, to reunite with their care team at the hospital.

“It’s an experience! And when I saw them this morning, I ran to them because it’s the first time I’m seeing them after discharge,” Bomberry shared.

“Seeing families come through and then getting to see them again like this is really just the best joy of why we do what we do,” added Gentry.

Read the original article on People