Mono/Mono Twins delivered at 32 weeks!
by Amy
(Johnstown, PA)
Ciara (Left) Olivia (Right) in their bumbos!
Hello, I was pregnant with monoamniotic, monochorionic twins this past year and delivered two wonderful baby girls at 32 weeks on January 22, 2010. I must say the twin pregnancy was a little nerve racking after I found out I was having twins at my 22 week ultrasound! After finding out they were monoamniotic, monochorionic twins, and learned the risks associated with it, I just prayed everyday that it would not happen to me.
My doctor explained all the risks such as: the twins may not get equal access to the nutrition from the placenta; or they can be at risk for twin-twin tranfusion and even growth retardation. But I just kept praying that the babies would make it through the twin pregnancy.
My doctor informed me that he would take the babies around 34 weeks by C-section as long as everything was going well. Since they were both in the same sac and same placenta, this was the safest way to deliver. So every week I went to get an ultrasound to monitor the umbilical cords. One of the other risks was that the cords would become tangled, cutting off oxygen supply. Well, we knew they were tangled, but they were not tight. The oxygen going through was fine. I also had non-stress tests 3 times a week to monitor their heart rate. Luckily everything was moving along just fine. It was not until I reached 32 weeks that I went in for my non-stress test and it took the nurses 3 tries to get baby A's heart rate. Since it was jumping around, my doctor felt that it could've been the umbilical cord tightening, which may have caused the heart beat to jump on and off the monitor. So he decided that I would be admitted to the hospital and deliver the next day. He felt confident that this was the right thing to do, because he also had already given me 2 shots to help with the babies lung development. So the next morning he delivered the babies and they were just fine.
Baby A was 3lbs 14.8oz and Baby B was 3lbs 15oz. They stayed in the NICU for 20 days as they grew bigger and stronger. Now my babies are 7 months old and are approximately 16lbs each! They are healthy, happy twin babies and I cherish every moment with them. I feel so blessed to have delivered twins!
