Having twins are one of the most blessing things to happen to the parents who want to have babies.
However, sometimes dangerous things happen during the pregnancy of twins because they have to share everything in mother’s uterus.
Six months after their wedding in 2010, Mindy and Keith were planning to grow their family. They have been trying for 18 months but it didn’t work. They didn’t have any idea why Mindy couldn’t get pregnant.
After months of trying to get pregnant, she finally had a positive pregnancy test. And six weeks later, Mindy and Keith had their first ultrasound and found out that they were not just having a baby but two identical twin boys.
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Other than the fact that they are twins, doctors found something strange about Mindy’s pregnancy. The ultrasound showed one baby was noticeably smaller than the other. There was a 90% and 10% placenta share between the twins in the uterus. The smaller one, Christian was having a hard time growing.
Mindy and Keith were diagnosed with Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) in March 2012. TTTS is a blood supply complication that could happen to identical twin pregnancies. It happens to 15 percent of identical twin pregnancies with a shared placenta. It’s pretty common.
If it is not treated, most babies will die.
The warning signs in the mother include the sensation of a rapid growth of the womb, a uterus that measures large for dates, abdominal pain or tightness, or uterine contractions, sudden increases in body weight, hand and leg swelling in early pregnancy.
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To get the right treatment for her babies, Mindy was transferred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, one of the few hospitals in the United States that have the laser surgery for TTTS. In the identical twin pregnancy, when one baby dies in the uterus, the risk of the other one’s death significantly increases.
So the purpose of the laser surgery is to save both babies by stopping the blood-sharing between the twins.
After 18 weeks on bed rest, Christian and Connor were born on July 17, 2012, via emergency c-section. The weight between the two boys was over 1 pound: Christian was born three pounds and Connor was born over four pounds.
“I received 2 rounds of steroid shots to help my boys lungs if born early and I’m thankful that the March of Dimes funded the research for this treatment,” Mindy writes on Crowdrise.
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Christian and Connor spent nearly a month in NICU but they went home safely without any monitors or complications with them.
Now, they grew up to be healthy and energetic little boys.
Mindy said, “Our family is committed to spreading awareness about TTTS and offering support to other families who are suffering from TTTS.”
And please SHARE with your friends and family on Facebook to spread awareness about Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion Syndrome, which is not that uncommon for twins.
For more information about TTTS you can visit The Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion Syndrome Foundation.