Twin Tips- A Growing Belly with TTTS (guest post)

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Sonora is part of your Twins {& MORE} Board here at Crystal & Co. Once a month our board tackles a topic and we all share our experience to provide other mom’s of multiples, or expecting multiples, a place to relate. This month we are sharing our pregnant belly pictures, some delivery details and stats.

Make sure you read her bio and follow the link to her site at the end.

The human body is an amazing thing. It was surreal watching my stomach grow to proportions I would have never thought possible. By the end, I felt like my body had been completely taken over and was no longer mine.

At our 20 week appointment, we found out we were carrying identical twin boys and we also found out that we had TTTS (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome). Because of the TTTS, I ended up carrying extra fluid causing me to be larger than I might have otherwise been. At one appointment, I had a fluid reduction of almost 2 gallons of amniotic fluid (via amniocentesis), and I was still ginormous, although slightly more comfortable.

This is me at 33 weeks 1 day – 8 days before the boys were born:

Again at 33 weeks 4 days, this time with my then 15 month old daughter:

Finally, at 34 weeks – 1 1/2 days before the boys arrived. I am balancing my prescription for Nifedipine (the medicine to stop contractions) on my stomach:

My boys arrived at 34 weeks 2 days after 16 hours of labor. My sweet doctor, who was just finishing a vacation, drove home to deliver my babies via C-section just after midnight.

We had all decided that again, because of the TTTS, a C-section was the safest course of delivery. It turned out to be correct as we almost lost baby A. After 10 minutes of resuscitation efforts, Baby A joined his brother in the NICU.

Sometimes babies with TTTS can be born with major size differences. Mine were lucky and were quite close in size. TTTS can also cause one baby to be bright red for a few days as my baby A was and one to be more pale and sometimes anemic as my Baby B was. That is caused by the “transfusion” of blood from the one baby to the other. It can be very dangerous for both babies.

Luckily, after 3 weeks in the NICU, the boys came home with only minor health issues. It still amazes me that we made it through relatively unscarred. I am grateful I was able to carry the boys as long as I did and I am grateful for amazing doctors and nurses.

Sonora is a SAHM to four children ages five and under. Her second child was seven months old when they were surprised with a twin pregnancy, so the final three children arrived in just fifteen months. When she is not chasing after children, attempting to keep her house clean, or working on strengthening her second marriage and combined family,she blogs, reads, dabbles in photography, and laughs as often as possible. Visit her at Twinfinity- To Twinfinity and Beyond!