Against all Odds ~ Ruby and Megan's Story

            

           It was decided quite soon after having my son, now 2, that I wanted a 4th child.  I hated the odd number it seemed my daughter was always pushed out.  So when in the summer of 2010 I found I was pregnant again I was over the moon.

At around what I thought was 6wks I was sent for a scan as I kept spotting.  When we arrived we were sat in a room full of bumps as I was looking at a display I noticed a poster about multiples and I pointed and said to Danny, “can you imagine if they found this!” His reply was, “don't joke Sarah, 4 is going to be a handful.”

Ten minutes later we found ourselves being asked if I would mind an internal scan.  It was very quiet in there and the sonographer didn't say too much and I agreed for the internal.  After a few minutes she said “could you excuse me for a minute” and came back with a doctor.  We were then told they had found on the internal scan 2 little pulses!.

We were then told we would be left for a week then sent for another scan to see a little more.
We went for another scan at 9wks and this is when we were told they thought they were mo/di but they could see where a membrane started but couldn't see where it finished; it just seemed to disappear.  We were told very minimal at this point as it was still so early.

I was told I'd be sent for a more in depth scan at 16-18wks.  Only I didn't get that far.  I was picking up my son from school a few days later and he was running ahead.   I was 2 streets from home and I suddenly doubled over in pain and then the gush! Blood everywhere! I started crying and my son, love him, managed to call my mum. My mum came to collect me (she works in our maternity department) she told me she'd take me home because there was nothing the hospital could do so early.
We went home and she called the hospital again they told us they couldn't do anything other than let nature take its course.

I went to the hospital the following morning again for a scan only as soon as the scan started saw one heart beat.  I started crying and saw the other! Wow what a relief!  They went on scanning and again a doctor came in and this is when I was told I had a ruptured subchorionic hematoma.  The sonographer said it was a miracle they had survived the stress!  The doctor now thought he should talk to us about TTTS! and we were also told that the membrane was floating around so my babies had become mo/mo.  This is when selective abortion was discussed to give the stronger twin a better chance.

We didn’t even need to talk about it as they had come through so much already!
At around 12 weeks we were told there was quite a size difference and TTTS was high risk as one of the twins (smaller) was showing a large nuchal translucency but this also occurs in Downs!  So much to take in! We were also told that something called the Ductus venosus was reverse flow on the smaller twin when you would expect them to both be positive flow!

At 14.6wks I was referred for a cardiac scan and another ultra sound with a consultant.
At this point I was really worried still about reverse flow and that large nuchal.  Nothing looked in our favour  and I was told to go back again at approx 16wks.  At 1 day short of 17weeks I had another scan and everything had seemed to stay the same, happy nothing had got worse and we waited to see the consultant. We were taken into a side room again and the selective abortion was again discussed by him! and if we wouldn't consider that then at least consider an amnio (no no no) leave them be!
We were told these type of twins were a freak of nature and not fully understood! and that 1 in 4 of these pregnancies will end badly!

We left with his words hanging in our minds, “you have until 24wks to go ahead with selective abortion.”  From then on for 48hours before an appointment I felt so sick and nervous!  I was at the hospital fortnightly and my community midwife the weeks in between! At 24 wks we were back again with the consultant and was told they could see a totally disconnected membrane floating around and the cord was very tangled;  he told us it looked like a pretzel.

We were still told at this point the smaller twin was showing lack of life and had only 25% chance of survival and by not having the selective termination we were putting both at risk! No, we'd made the decision we were giving our babies both a fair chance!  At 26wks at the next scan I had gone in extremely upset after what had been said at the previous scan. We saw a lady consultant this time and we were told by the consultant that our previous consultant we had didn't mince his words and wasn't very compassionate!  We nick named him Dr doom!  Anyway I told this consultant that I was worried about her growth and she told me she was looking to be improving.  She then asked if I would like to see them;  I must have looked confused as she said its ok, we can have look with a more advanced scan.   I was so excited and wanted to see this twin more than the other. 

She was perfect so how on earth could we terminate her!  I managed to get to 27wks and I was little uncomfortable most of the day and was advised to go to the hospital if anything got any worse. By early evening I had what I would describe as intense contractions so to the hospital we went! Here we go!,  I was so scared, they put me on steroids and after a week of being in I was discharged and told to come back if anything, no matter how small, happened!  When I got home I got the 3rd degree about taking it easy feet up etc from Dan and my mum.

My mum knew more than she would tell me or Dan, although she’s told me since that on many occasions she said to my dad that if something was going to happen to these babies, let it happen sooner rather than later! My dad maintained to my mum all the way along they'd make it, they had their mother’s blood running through them.

I started research online and actually got quite scared that my consultant actually didn't seem at all worried!  When we saw him again I put this to him and he said it’s not proven that inpatient or increased monitoring increase the survival rate. He believes it depended on life style and how you could harbour these babies.   So we carried on and made it to 33.1wks.  I had been booked for a section at 34wks after being told the cords would start getting real tight because of the size!

Although this would depend on the state of SCBU and space.  At 33.1wks I had really bad back pain at the bottom of my spine and I'm thinking “woozers these buggers are breaking my back.”
I had just settled down for an evening in front of the TV and Dan was getting ready for work when Eastenders started. We watched it and just as it finished I stood up and got a shooting pain around my lower tummy!  I shot to the toilet and as I sat a sudden rush blood everywhere!

It really looked as if someone had been attacked there. Dan rang my mum and she got there in less than a min (she lived a street over), straight in the car, no belongings nothing, and I was in hospital in 4 minutes. Thank goodness we lived behind the hospital!  Dan rang my dad to come over just in case he had to get to the hospital.  When I got there they hooked me up to a monitor; only the smaller twin had serious decels and they tried to examine me and it was too messy.

They decided section now, Danny had to be there in 7 minutes which he managed.  All that went through my head was he told me the chances were slim they'd both survive if either.  I remember having the spinal and he hit a nerve, which resulted me in kicking my midwife.  Apart from that I just remember bodies buzzing around and Dan coming in.  The next thing I remember was someone saying 11.51 .  I looked at Dan and he said twin one out (smaller).  Didn't see her,  just heard a door.  7minutes later I remember them saying twin 2 out and I saw her beautiful little cheeks and nose the rest of her was covered.  Ruby was  4lb 6oz and Megan was  4lb 11oz.

As I was being stitched my mum had followed my girls and had managed to get a message back to me to tell me the girls looked to be doing well. I was stitched back up and moved to recovery! Wow when everything started wearing off I felt sick and itchy it was the most weird thing in my life and the shivers. Wow not an experience I would ever want again!  I got wheeled along about 6hours after to see them but the warmth from the room hit me and I felt I was going pass out so they wheeled me back to recovery.  It was 14hours before I saw them.

I couldn't see Ruby (smaller twin), she was quite high up, but saw Megan and she looked amazing! I was shocked she looked so well as I was used to term babies!  The 1st week and 4days were quite eventful back and forth between rooms as Ruby needed more than Megs to begin with, only for Ruby to progress quicker Megan in the end.  At 2wks and 2days I finally had my babies together and feeding well and at 3wks 2days, a day I never thought would come, we brought our babies home!!!