"Is there a membrane between the twins?"
If there isn't a membrane, then we are one of the VERY few MoMo pregnancies (1 in 35,000 pregnancies). If they find a membrane, then the pregnancy is still unique but not nearly as risky for the babies (MoMo twins only have 50% survival rate during pregnancy).
Yesterday, Greg and I drove to Westside Medical for a 45 minute ultrasound appointment followed by a 30 minute appointment with a perinatologist. All twin pregnancies are considered high risk and because of that all my doctor visits will now be taken care of by this department that specializes in high risk & multiples.
We were lead into the first room where they took my blood pressure and asked me the basic questions. My blood pressure was unusually high for me (130/86, normally 110/70) but they chalked it up to the icy drive to Hillsboro from Saint Helens. After that we were brought down to the ultrasound room to get started. With nerves racing, the first question we asked was the one that had been eating away at us for weeks.
"Is there a membrane?"
"Yes, see it, it's right there." Looking at the monitor, there it was, a tiny faint hair of a line. HURRAY!! The twins are separated so we don't need to worry about them getting tangled up! Relief overwhelmed us like the flood. The rest of the ultrasound went great. They measured the thickness on the back of the neck on each twin. This measurement gives them a look into the risk of Down Syndrome along with a bunch of other abnormalities. They also measured each twin. Twin A is on my lower left side and Twin B is on my right side. Twin B is slightly larger but not enough for them to be concerned yet. The fluid in the amniotic sacs also looked great. We also learned that I have a transverse placenta which means that it is located between the twins and my belly button where normally the placenta is located between the twins and your spine. This doesn't cause any issues, it just means that it will be a little longer than usual before I can feel the babies kicking. My best friend who is pregnant has the same exact thing :)
When the ultrasound was over, the technician printed out some pictures for us to take home and finished typing up the report for the doctor. Then were were moved to another exam room to meet with the perinatologist. The doctor came in and we were enlightened further. The twins have a VERY low risk of developing Down Syndrome (1 in 10,000) and Trisomy 18/13. I was not familiar with Trisomy 18/13 but the doctor explained it as worse than Down Syndrome and not compatible with life.
The goal is to deliver the twins between 34w/0d - 37w/6d. That puts our due date sometime during the month of May 2017. A cesarean isn't always necessary, in fact, there is a good chance that I will be able to have a natural birth with these two. In the end, we just want healthy babies and we'll do whatever we need to do to ensure that.
With monochorionic-diamniotic there is a 10% risk for TTTS so we will need to go to regular ultrasounds and doctor appointments every two weeks for the rest of the pregnancy to ensure that both babies are growing at the same rate, receiving the same amount of nutrients & blood from the placenta. If they find that TTTS is present, it is treatable at a specialized clinic in San Francisco. It is still early though and TTTS doesn't start to show up until after week 15.
It is a huge relief to have all this information. There is no guarantee that everything will go swimmingly from here but we'll keep our heads up and take it one day at a time. Our next appointment is on December 28th and we're looking forward to all the holiday fun between now and then.
Here are a couple pictures from the ultrasound:
Here are both of the twins snuggling next to each other
Twin A with it's tongue sticking out 😛
Twin B waving to the camera
This holiday season we are thankful for our wonderful family and friends who have been right there besides us so far on the journey. It isn't going to be easy but there is so much comfort knowing how full our lives are with the support and love of those around us. Have a wonderful holiday season.
Love, Comfort & Peace to all!