That is really beautiful!!
As an apprentice midwife, I learned that babies regulate their breathing and heart rate by proximity to their mother. This is why, in the midwifery model of care, babies are not separated from their mothers, but are given directly to her (or she reaches down and pulls him to herself on her own). Cords are not cut until adequate respiration is demonstrated, and even then are usually left alone until separation of the placenta. The blood contained in the cord belongs to the baby, which can be up to a third of their whole blood volume. This blood keeps the baby oxygenated until he is breathing on his own. The principle of leaving the cord alone will not always occur in a twin birth, as in this story, due to the physiology and risk of leaving the first twins cord intact before delivering the second twin. However, I know of no reason why a second twins cord could not be left intact. Also, statistically, it is the second baby who is most at risk in a twin birth, and I would not be surprised to learn that Jamie was the second twin.
I, myself, have seen the results of low birth weight babies having direct proximity to their mothers. One birth I attended was a 36 week birth. Right on the cusp of safety, we ended up transporting for other factors. Baby was a tiny 4 pounder, and was showing respiratory distress on the warmer, but given to mom anyway under supervision. As soon as mom and baby were reunited, babies breathing regulated and distress subsided.
There has been some amazing research done on Kangaroo Care, too. Here's a link to research done in India:
http://indianpediatrics.net/jan2008/jan-17-23.htm
