Disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor or provider. I’m just sharing my experience and the follow up regimen that my OB providers have set for me.
After researching, I learned that it is actually very hard to get pregnant! I turned 30 years old in 2022 and thought maybe we should just try to see how things go. Well, to our surprise, we got pregnant very quickly! (You can read about it here: Conception
After getting a positive pregnancy test, I called the OB clinic to set up an appointment at my 8 week mark. I did not get any blood test to test my HCG levels. At the visit, my OB did an in clinic abdominal ultrasound. She confirmed I was pregnant with ONE fetus, but also performed a vaginal ultrasound since she initially thought she saw two sacs. My husband and I laughed it off.
My OB proceeded to explain our options for genetic testing, which included a 12 week nuchal translucency (NT) scan genetic ultrasound. The rest of the pregnancy monitoring was straightforward and one that I was familiar with – I would get a 20 week anatomy scan, after the 12 week NT scan, and will see her more frequently when I’m in my third trimester.
We scheduled my NT scan on our one year anniversary. In hindsight, I wasn’t sure if that was the best idea since we could’ve received bad news during the visit. A sonographer brought us to the ultrasound room and had me lay down and pull up my shirt to expose my stomach. She got started immediately and it wasn’t even a minute in when she goes, “There they are.” I didn’t think too much of it as I was still examining the room. I didn’t even realize there was a tv monitor in front of me where I can see the ultrasound in action. She repeated it again,
S: There they are.
Me: They?
S: Yes, you are carrying twins.
I looked at my husband, and he had this shocked face. He was just looking straight ahead so I followed his gaze. I looked up and see two little bodies in front of us on the tv monitor. I started laughing and was like, “You are kidding me right?” The sonographer said, “Nope. There are two of them. They are identical. I guess you didn’t know you’re carrying twins.”
I laid there in shock and in disbelief. So many thoughts started running through my mind at that point –
- Finances – how will we afford two babies at once
- Raising two kids – will we be able to support them as individuals and raise them in an environment as equal as possible
- My relationship with my husband – will raising twins hurt our relationship
- Is my body capable of carrying two
- My work/career
I laid there in shock and held in my tears. I looked at the tv screen again and saw their little bodies and felt an overwhelming sensation of motherly instinct and also guilt that I wasn’t thrilled/happy at the moment.
After the ultrasound, the sonographer told us that the high risk doctor wants to speak with us. We went into a room and met the high risk doctor over Zoom. She first congratulated us and validated our feelings of being caught off guard. Then she did what she had to do – she gave us the risks factors when it comes to carrying twins.
She let us know that I’m carrying identical modi twins. She explained that with identical twins, they are either di/di, modi, momo, or conjoined twins and that as we go along the spectrum, the pregnancy gets riskier. With our modi twins, she explained that my babies share a placenta but luckily have their own amniotic sac. With the sharing of a placenta, they run the risk of two major medical conditions: twin to twin transfusion (TTTS) and unequal placenta sharing.
Twin to twin transfusion occurs when one baby’s (donor) blood or amniotic fluid travels to the other baby (recipient), which 1) results in lower amniotic fluid in the donor and 2) the receiving baby’s heart may undergo a lot of pressure due to the increased fluid and blood coming in. TTTS is highest risk around week 16-26, and the risk levels decrease after week 26.
In unequal placenta sharing, one baby may be taking in all the nutrients from the placenta, which results in the other baby growing at a slower rate or not growing at all, often referred to as restricted growth. Unequal placenta sharing can occur at any time.
The high risk OB said that 20% of modi pregnancy will experience TTTS and/or unequal placenta sharing. She goes on to explain that the majority of modi twin pregnancies are delivered around 34-36 weeks, with the goal being 37 weeks and there’s a possibility that either one or both twins are at risk of not making it due to the complications.
This was a lot to take in. Not only did we find out that we are now pregnant with twins, but also that with twin pregnancy, specifically the twins I’m carrying, are at higher risk of complications. With the increased risk, my treatment plan now involves undergoing frequent monitoring.
My new treatment plan became like this:
- Ultrasound every 2 weeks starting week 16
- Week 16 will be an early anatomy scan to measure the babies’ growth (growth scan)
- Week 18 will be a fluid check to see if there are any TTTS signs (fluid scan)
- The ultrasounds will alternate as growth and fluid scans
- Then starting at 32 weeks, I’ll need to undergo a weekly non-stress test
- I’ll either be induced or undergo a c-section no later than 37 weeks
It took about a month and a half for us to accept our new reality. There were many days/moments, during my pregnancy, when I found myself sitting there and getting a reality check again.
If you are experiencing any similar feelings regarding your pregnancy or twin pregnancy, please know that you are not alone. Feel free to reach out to talk – I’m always happy to listen. I leaned in on other twin moms’ stories through forums, like the What to Expect app “Twin and Multiples” group and the Reddit “Parents of Multiples” pages. However, please take everything with a grain of salt and that everyone’s pregnancy is different and how one copes with their pregnancy is different!