The NICU is rough (Mo-Mo twins)

My wife finally gave birth to our Mo-Mo twins at 34 weeks. Everything as far as the pregnancy went well. Once they came out they were doing fine. They needed some assisted breathing the first day but that was it. I was expecting it to be a smooth ride. 2-3 days in, there lungs needed more help and they gave them a dose of surfactant. Then one of the twins needed to be intubated. Both ended up getting a minor hole in their lungs due to the pressure of the ventilator and one needed a chest tube to relieve the pressure. They did head X-rays on both and one has very minor hemorrhage (lower than level 1). Now they are on blue light therapy to help their livers.

With everything going on I feel defeated, crushed, and sad. It's hard to look at them with all the machines used to help them. I see so many parents postpartum taking their babies home and wished that could be us...

The doctors said they are somewhere in the middle, not critical but not thriving. The boys are very active and moving around a lot which is a good sign.

I guess the first 7 days in the NICU can be like this with lots of ups and downs. I still believe they will pull through and live happy healthy lives. But I wish someone prepared me for what NICU life was going to be like. Even if I was prepared I don't think the experience would be any less nerve racking.

I'm curious if any other Mo-Mo or Mo-Di parents had a similar experience? What was the outcome? Was there anything that helped get you through your time at the NICU?