Mono/di twins and worried

amb2013 · September 2012

Today was our first OBGYN/MFM appointment. Good news is that we have mono/di twins. Sooo happy to cross that hurdle. Although, MFM told us all the risks associated with twins sharing a placenta, such as ttts and I left there scared out of my mind. She even mentioned that some mothers terminate IDentical twin pregnancies due to these risks. I immediately started crying.

I guess I'm hoping to hear from others Moms who can give me some reassurance or words of wisdom.

Trying to focus on the positive and hoping I'm strong enough to deal with all of this.

nghithy · September 2012

I have mono/di twins and my c-section is this coming monday at 36 weeks. They want to deliver early because its more dangerous toward the last month with placenta eruption and ttts. They start monitoring me every 2 weeks when I was 18 weeks to make sure the babies don't have TTTS. Lucky for us we are now in the safe zone. Tuesday the twins measure 5.8 and 5.7. I was put on bed rest at 26 weeks due to shortening of cervix and procardia for contractions.

My only advice is to take good care of your self and hope for the best. They said proteins help so load up when you can. I drank ensure for 1 month but it was so gross. Don't stress yourself out by crying. There's not much you can do and being depress will not help the situation. At least they tell us so that we are prepare of what will come.

pixiem38 · September 2012

There are risks, but there is also a lot that can go.right. The fact that you are seeing an ob/mfm that is aware of the risks.of mono-di twins is huge. HUGE! If they are aware of possible issues, then there is a much better chance of them identifying them.if they pop up (i have mono-di twins and have been fighting to have a doctor acknowledge that my pregnancy is any different than a singleton. You are very lucky to not have to fight to have a knowledgable doctor).

pea-kay · September 2012

Yes, there are risks, but they're not a given. I cannot imagine anyone terminating because they're mo/di. That doctor is a douche. There are many, many stories of totally boring mo/di (or mo/tri, in my case) pregnancies.

As you said, focus on the positive!

amb2013 · September 2012

Thank you both for sharing your stories. I will take your advice and focus on taking care of myself and keeping the worry under control.

Pixiem: can you go to an MFM? My doctor is an MFM who specializes in high risk pregnancies. Not warm and fuzzy but she has had many mono/di pregnancies.

Thanks girls! Best wishes for you too.

amb2013 · September 2012

pea-kay:
Yes, there are risks, but they're not a given. I cannot imagine anyone terminating because they're mo/di. That doctor is a douche. There are many, many stories of totally boring mo/di (or mo/tri, in my case) pregnancies.
As you said, focus on the positive!

Thank you! The termination comment was what freaked me out. Your boys are freaking adorable!!

LadyNikon · September 2012

This is why I hate informing an already emotionally charge person with information. Take all of it as information and not something that *will* happen to your twins. You are being made aware of the risks so that you can educate yourself on them. Don't dwell on them you will go nuts. My friend has twins that are about 3 months old who shared a placenta and they are fine. *hugs*

pixiem38 · September 2012

amb2013:
Thank you both for sharing your stories. I will take your advice and focus on taking care of myself and keeping the worry under control.
Pixiem: can you go to an MFM? My doctor is an MFM who specializes in high risk pregnancies. Not warm and fuzzy but she has had many mono/di pregnancies.
Thanks girls! Best wishes for you too.

i typed up a long response and it got eaten

. No...i have been trying for two.months to go to a mfm and nobody feels i am high risk.enough to.warrant it. The mfm will not see me without a referral (there is one mfm practice in the state). It is ridiculous. Don't focus on the bad stories. I think educating yourself to be aware of risks is.good, but don't let it consume you. It is their job to be aware of risks and to look for them. It is your job to grow some.nice big healthy babies and try t not to freak out.

angelfire02 · September 2012

Ok that is ridiculous that your doctor even put termination in your head. I saw an MFM doctor starting at 16 weeks. I went in for biweekly appointments until 28 weeks, then I went weekly, then at 32 weeks started going in 2x/week to do a Non Fetal Stress Test. I was delivered at 35.6 weeks because I had high blood pressure. NO ONE, EVER mentioned ANYTHING about possible termination because of risks. Yes, ttts does happen and yes, it is a serious thing, but that's not the norm. My pregnancy was textbook perfect. I had no issues, I gaine 36lbs, my babies were born early but weighed 5.7lbs and 5.9lbs and did no NICU time. They came home when we did after 5 days (I had a rough delivery with an unexpected hystorectomy so we had to stay for me, not them). They are now 16 weeks old and thriving. Please don't let some doctor on a power trip scare you, it's super overwhelming but as long as you are being monitored closely and have a doctor who knows what to watch for, you will be fine. Try to enjoy this time as much as you can, and my whole point to my post is to tell you that a mono/di pregnancy can be very boring. Which is a good thing.

Mrs. Alice · September 2012

Also quite shocked that your Doc brought up termination. Sheesh, even with TTTS it is not a death sentence. There are treatment options. The only time termination was brought up to us is when our MFM felt like there wasn't much hope for one of our twins and he wanted to give the other one a better chance at survival. Fortunately he was very wrong.

ETA: I would do all over it again too.

brookith · September 2012

I have mono/di twin boys who are 10 weeks old! We did not find out we were having twins until our 18 week ultrasound to find out gender (I had no early ultrasound). After that I was monitored every 2 weeks with an ultrasound. I had no complications until 33 weeks when I developed cholestasis, bells palsy and then pre-eclampsia at 35 weeks. Boys were born at 35w4d and perfectly healthy!

Good luck!

MrsJones2005 · September 2012

I carried mono/di twins to 37 weeks. Try not to stress yourself out worrying about the "what ifs".....take care of yourself, make it to your appointments and worry about things if they come up!

amb2013 · September 2012

Thank you all so much! It really helps to hear your perspectives.

zombiemommy · September 2012

People abort mono-di twins just because they're mono-di?!? Really?? That hurts my heart. Never heard of anything like that before.

It can be super scary, for sure, but know that the chance of TTTS is present, but not the majority at all. About 20% I think? Also, your doctor should monitor you very closely, and that will enable them to catch TTTS early enough as long as they're doing the appropriate monitoring. We've had fluid measurements at the MFM every other week and OB appointments on the alternating weeks ever since 20 weeks, and I think we were actually supposed to start at 18 weeks. Once they find TTTS, if it happens at all, there are a variety of interventions they can do. Also, past a certain point, they can induce you early to stop the TTTS from becoming dangerous.

We're mono-di, and (BIG knock on wood) we've been fine so far. Fluid and size have been good. Anatomy scan went well. It's still scary, especially since I miscarried my first pregnancy (not twins), but know that as long as you are insistent about receiving regular and specialized care, you'll probably have two happy and healthy little ones very soon.

amb2013 · September 2012

zombiemommy:
"People abort mono-di twins just because they're mono-di?!? Really?? That hurts my heart. Never heard of anything like that before."
My thoughts exactly. I have been very strong through most of my journey to get to this point, and when she said that, it hurt my heart, you said it best.
Thanks for the input, everyone has helped me put this into perspective.

travllight · September 2012

Believe it or not, mono/di twins are the most common type of twins. About 80% of such pregnancies won't have an issue with TTTS. Other than frequent monitoring, which you and your OB seem to have set up already, there's not much you can do about it.

So no need to fret... the odds are on your side!

~D

Mrs. Alice · September 2012

travllight:

Believe it or not, mono/di twins are the most common type of twins. About 80% of such pregnancies won't have an issue with TTTS. Other than frequent monitoring, which you and your OB seem to have set up already, there's not much you can do about it.

So no need to fret... the odds are on your side!

~D

No they aren't. Mono/di is the most common presentation of monozygotic twins but with twins in general, di/di still occurs the most often.

MuseumMaven · September 2012

I can't believe your doctor mentioned termination for mo/di twins. That's insane, and honestly would cause me to question whether or not I was comfortable with that doctor. But that's your call.

I had a complication-free mo/di pregnancy. I was induced at 37w and the boys were totally healthy. I was monitored weekly later in the pregnancy to evaluate growth and fluid levels. Baby B did lag in growth behind A, but he was still fine. The doctor wasn't even sure that his smaller size had anything to do with being mo/di.

My MFM, whom I absolutely loved, gave me the best advice. At our first appointment he said, "I'm sure you've read all kinds of risks and terrible things that can happen with this type of pregnancy. But chances are everything will be fine. So let's not get excited until there's something to get excited about."

amb2013 · September 2012

Thank you everyone for the responses, really helped me. I think my doctor is such a hgh risk md (shes at ny presby cornell) that she is trained to give worst case scenario! Don't know for sure; I will give her the benefit of the doubt, but wow did her words sting.

Thanks again!

Jennygurl · September 2012

I had my mono/di twins on July 26th. They had no issues until around the 30th week when they discovered Twin A hadn't been putting on weight at that point. I was put on bedrest, was given a steroid in the hospital (just in case they needed to be delivered early to develop their lungs quicker) and had ultrasounds twice a week and saw my doctor twice a week. They ended up being delivered at 34 weeks. Twin A was 2 lbs. 8 oz and Twin B was 4lbs. 14 oz.

With the exception of Twin A being born small, they spent under 2 weeks in the NICU and have been thriving with no other issues. Twin A is a feisty little one and eats like a tank! She's going to catch up to her sister in no time! : )

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