mono/mono twins | Imamother

amother ↓

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 8:56 pm

Bh im having twins. I went to see my OB today and he told me that IF they are mono/mono (share an amnion, chorion and placenta) they will most likely be delivered by a scheduled C-section. I really really really dont want a C!! Does anyone have any experience with this? Is this an absolute must or will a specialist say something different?

I just want to say that so far Im really happy with my doctor, and with regular births he;s very pro Vaginal delivery. If they are di/di he is also pro- VD.

I know im putting the cart before the horse here, because I dont even know what they are yet. obviously im hoping for the best, but I just like to be aware of what might be coming. TIA!

↑ amother ↓

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 9:04 pm

Mono/mono twins are extremely rare. Forget c-section, you will likely be in the hospital on monitored bedrest for the last three months if you have that. Didn't you have an u/s yet? My doc was able to tell at 6 weeks that mine were in two separate sacs. I would definitely consult with a perinatologist or high risk specialist for a second opinion.

↑ amother ↓

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 10:15 pm

wow-that sounds scary.

I had an ultrasound at 14 weeks, which is when I found at I was having twins. unfortunately the tech didnt even look for a shared sac. needless to say my doctor was pretty frustrated and hes sending me somewhere else for me next u/s.

anyways, I really hope it doesn't come to that. Just wanted to know if what my doctor was saying was not overly drastic or not- I guess he wasnt. thanks for the info.

life'sgreat ↓

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 11:27 pm

amother wrote:

How far along are you? When are you getting your ultrasound done? Honestly, C section is the lesser of the worries with Mo/Mo twins, though it does happen. Read the Mo/Mo twins site to see what you'll be dealing with, but the truth is, often there's a very thin membrane dividing the two, so let's hope that's the case.

It is not overly drastic IMO.

Last edited by life'sgreat on Wed, Nov 30 2011, 11:29 pm; edited 1 time in total

↑ amother ↓

Wed, Nov 30 2011, 11:36 pm

I read that site as soon as I got home from the dr. thanks

im 16 weeks and having another ultrasound in a week, so hopefully Ill know more then. till then, hoping for the best.

did you have mono/mono twins?

↑ life'sgreat ↓

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 12:17 am

amother wrote:

No I didn't. Both sets were fraternal, but my friend (almost) did. They didn't see a membrane until 20 weeks as it was a very thin dividing membrane.

Britmummy

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 3:20 am

Don't worry unnecessarily until you've had the next US! Like someone else said, it is actually pretty rare...

I do have a friend who had monoamniotic twins, with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. They monitored her extremely closely (weekly US scans) and when the size difference between the two babies reached a certain level they did a CS. Luckily they were at around 34/35 weeks by then and didn't spend long in NICU.

B"H, they're now 7yo and healthy, beautiful girls with no long-term problems Smile

↑ amother ↓

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 1:05 pm

thanks britmummy Smile

in not going to worry about it until my US. I just really wanted to know if my OB was being too drastic, which I found out he isnt. So that was comforting.

tikva18 ↓

Thu, Dec 01 2011, 1:11 pm

fraternal twins here - just daven that everything should be good. Your next ultrasound will probably be more telling. I do have a friend who lost one of her babies as a result of TTTS. May you never know such sorrow.

Eowyn

Sun, Dec 18 2011, 12:16 am

All I can tell you is do your research and do not just do what the OB tells you. Make sure you know everything you can before you make the decision.

I have a friend who has monozygotic twins and she became an expert on all things twins and she will tell you that sometimes 1 placenta is actually two that have fused and it can be virtually impossible to detect by ultrasound.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Dec 18 2011, 1:40 am

I have 2 sil that had mono/mono twins. As previous posters have said the concern for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. One sil had a harder pregnancy with laying and monitoring almost throughout. She had a c at 36 weeks. The second found out she was having twins at 20 weeks, she ended up having an emergency c at 34-35 weeks.

↑ amother ↓

Sun, Dec 18 2011, 7:40 pm

I just had my 20 week ( really 19) ultrasound. and the twins are mono/di BH (I.e. they share a placenta but have their own separate sacs) I am very relieved BH! there is still a risk of TTTS, but they will monitor me bimonthly with L2 ultrasounds. All Im going to do now is daven and not worry Smile

to Eowyn : "have a friend who has monozygotic twins and she became an expert on all things twins and she will tell you that sometimes 1 placenta is actually two that have fused and it can be virtually impossible to detect by ultrasound."

I think this is only for mono/di twins. Mono/mono twins cannot share a placenta, if they only have one sac. The tech who did my ultrasound thought that my placenta might actually be 2 fused together, but a radiologist and perinatologist have confirmed that its only one placenta after all. Not the best, but definitely not the worst.

Anyone out there with mono/di twins?

mummy-bh ↓

Mon, Dec 19 2011, 1:14 am

amother wrote:

Anyone out there with mono/di twins?

Me!
I had fortnightly US, and was induced at 38 weeks when baby B appeared not to have grown in the previous weeks (She was small at birth - 4lb 10oz, and baby A was 5lb 6oz), there was a concern that TTTS may have been developing.

↑ amother ↓

Mon, Dec 19 2011, 1:19 am

pardon the ignorance bu does fortnightly mean every two weeks? Thats what Ill have to do too.

Its great that you made it that far! was everything fine with Baby B after all?

Any tips to making it till 38 weeks? or any other general tips to share?

chavamom ↓

Mon, Dec 19 2011, 1:25 am

amother wrote:

Mono/mono twins are extremely rare. Forget c-section, you will likely be in the hospital on monitored bedrest for the last three months if you have that.

I haven't seen that in a long time. And even when we did, if mom got past (iirc) 32 weeks, the risk of cord entanglement went down and they stopped continuous monitoring.

↑ mummy-bh ↓

Mon, Dec 19 2011, 1:44 am

amother wrote:

Yes, I had an ultrasound every two weeks.
Baby B was fine BH. We never did find out of they WERE developing TTTS, but it didn't matter in the end.

Tips? hmm, that's a hard one. Being pregnant with twins was the hardest thing I ever did. It was the hardest aspect of having them, even more difficult that when they were tiny!
Accept all offers of help (so long as it really helps you!).
You need to make sure you are eating right. I remember having to eat enormous amounts of protein.

Having twins was a most amazing brocha. I would do it again in a heartbeat! (just not the pregnancy part Wink

)
They are 4 now kh and absolutely adorable!

tsm ↓

Mon, Dec 19 2011, 8:20 pm

My mono/di twin girls are 5 months old now bh. went for u/s every other week. it was exciting to visit and see them each time.... delivery was easier than with my singles; they rolled out.... their weight was 6.10 and 5.8 at 38 weeks! it's definitely not easy, but oh so worth it! they are too delicious! would definitely go for this again! Good Luck to you, wishing you an easy pregnancy!!

↑ amother ↓

Thu, Dec 22 2011, 1:51 pm

op here-

Thanks all for your responses.

Im just curious-at my last ultrasound (L2) they did an over-the-belly one to see the babies but also an internal ultrasound to measure my cervix (dont with a long wand). It was extremely painful! I have to go back every two weeks for an L2 to monitor for TTTS and Im wondering if I have to get the internal as well every two weeks. Have any of you had experience with this? I know its probably important that they measure my cervix in case it gets any shorter but I really dont relish the idea of having this done to me every two weeks. help!