On the first birthday of monoamniotic twins, parents
and doctor re-live the challenges of a rare and difficult
delivery
There are many types of complexities associated with certain
pregnancies. One such complexity is when the embryo does not split
until after the formation of amniotic sac which leads to the formation of
monoamniotic twins, wherein the two babies share the same placenta.
THE CASE
As first-time parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gill were thrilled to learn on the first
ultrasound that they were expecting twins. But their joy was short-lived
when they learnt about the multiple risks involved with monoamniotic
twins. They were also informed that this kind of pregnancy is rare and
the expectant mothers in these cases are generally advised for
termination by most medical facilities.
But Nidhi, the 28 year old twins' mother, was determined to go ahead
with her pregnancy, and then she came across an article on 'delivery of
monoamniotic twins' by Dr. Khera who had also done one such case
earlier. That gave the couple new-found hope and confidence to continue
the pregnancy.
Dr. Khera who monitored the pregnancy of Nidhi, mother of twins,
advised the parents to be cautious, while highlighting the challenges in
such pregnancy. There are chances of cord entanglement between the
twins, which can lead to choking; cord compression which could stop the
flow of nutrition amongst one twin and twin-to-twin transfusion
syndrome (TTTS). Under TTTS, one twin receives majority of
nourishment causing the other twin to become severely
undernourished.
THE PROCEDURE
Nidhi was advised complete bed rest for 80-90 days to reduce the risk
during her pregnancy. She underwent emergency caesarean in 33 weeks
due to chances of intrauterine growth retardation or intrauterine death
or poor growth of foetus inside the womb. The team of Gynaecologists at
BLK led by Dr. Khera performed the surgery with utmost care and
helped Nidhi successfully deliver two male babies, weighing 1.2 kgs and
1.59 kgs.
THE RESULT
Thanks to advancements in medical field coupled with diligent care,
routine follow-up and strict supervision by the team of doctors at BLK,
the monoamniotic twins pregnancy could have a happy ending. Both the
twins are doing extremely well and have just recently enjoyed their first
birthday celebrations!