A couple who had twins who were 16 weeks old and had been given the same Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) as the Little Mix singer’s new twins reveals they had to make the same difficult choice between life and death.
A mum who was tragically given the option to terminate her pregnancy after her twins were diagnosed with the same life-threatening condition as Jesy Nelson’s newborn girls has sent her heartfelt congratulations – and says she knows how the Little Mix singer must have felt giving birth.
Congratulations to Jesy and Zion Foster on the births of 31-week-old Ocean Jade Nelson-Foster and Story Monroe Nelson-Foster is fantastic news, say Victoria and her partner Darren Burgess.
And admits, “I know how worried she would have been about giving birth because an ultrasound revealed that our 16-week-old twins had Twin-To-Twin Syndrome (TTTS), which Jesy and Zion’s babies were diagnosed with at seven months pregnant.
The partners of Darren and Victoria, 35, who have 19-month-old boys who are now both healthy and well, say that “TTTS can affect everyone differently. I didn’t have to be in the hospital for 10 weeks like Jesy, but I did have to get lots of rest as close to bed-bound as possible to protect the babies.
And I had numerous MRI scans of my baby’s brains to see if there were any developmental issues, just like Jesy did. And I was so concerned for their health that I asked, “Are you doing everything I can?” Is this the right decision I made? Is this beneficial to babies?
The couple were overjoyed to be expecting when they attended their 12-week scan, but they were in for a shock. Darren had jokingly suggested they might be having twins, but Victoria was convinced otherwise.
No, not at all, it wasn’t in my mind that it could be twins. Victoria said, “I just thought I knew my own body.” I didn’t even consider having a twin in our family because we don’t have any.
However, as the sonographer examined the screen, she revealed the unanticipated news: “They were expecting two babies.” The sonographer glanced over the entire area quite quickly. “Darren recalled,” “I believed I saw a second embryo. The sonographer said, “Here’s baby number two,” after all the measurements were taken for just one child. Victoria’s jaw hit the floor.
However, their joy quickly turned to worry when a 16-week scan revealed something alarming – one twin had no visible kidneys or bladder, and the other had excessive fluid in their sac. Doctors diagnosed the pregnancy with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS), a rare but life-threatening condition that affects around 10 to 15 percent of identical twins who share a placenta.
The couple from Bristol had three choices: having their pregnancy terminated, having their baby undergoes specialist laser surgery, or doing nothing and risking complications. “We never had a termination in our heads,” he said. Like Jesy, we decided to undergo laser surgery, which essentially removes the placenta’s poor plumbing where nutrients were being passed from one baby to another.
Victoria found comfort in reading other families’ stories of TTTS-related issues after visiting the Twins Trust website for support and information. She said, “I hadn’t heard of TTTS at that time.” The Twins Trust website was really helpful when I was feeling very alone and unsure, and reading about other people’s experiences made a lot of sense.
Victoria underwent laser surgery to save her babies a week after the diagnosis. They were concerned about one of the twins, and we were aware that it might escalate quickly, “she said.” The other twin’s sac was expanding exponentially.
Although the procedure was successful, Victoria endured weeks of complications, including fluid loss and numerous hospital stays. Further bleeding at 33 weeks gave the twins a sense of direction.
Born via C-section in September 2023, Ezra and Arlo entered the world at 34 weeks and one day, in a theatre packed with 26 medical staff. In a dramatic twist, a student trainee fainted during the birth.
According to Darren, “Ezra and Arlo were born with 4lb 2oz and 4lb 7oz” as babies. Elo needed a kickstart while Arlo was breathing on his own, but they were okay after a few days while Ezra needed a rest.
The twins are now flourishing despite spending weeks in the NICU and intensive care. Victoria, who praised the staff at Taunton’s Musgrove Hospital, said she is determined to stay positive about having twins.
I had time to recover while the boys were being cared for special. There is no reason why TTTS should have an impact on them in the future because they are now 19 months old and have been developing normally.
“We’ve had the additional concern that Darren was diagnosed with a Grade 2 brain tumor, which has now been removed, and it’s been pretty intense for us since they were born.”
We initially struggled to sleep because we were twins, which made it difficult to do so. We all slept together in the sitting room for the first month because it was difficult to get upstairs, so we had to give breast milk every three or four hours. They are still sleeping in our bedroom, I won’t lie, I promise!
She said, “I don’t let the fact that I have twins prevent me from doing anything, but I enjoy taking the boys to clubs.” Reflecting on the TTTS, I believe open dialogue is crucial. I tried to educate myself about the syndrome because I had never heard of it before. The hospital staff gave us time, but I never felt pressured into making any decisions.
Darren counseled other parents who are dealing with similar diagnoses to remain open-minded and optimistic. He said, “We just kept on hoping.” We maintained that hope, leading to positive outcomes.
The couple is now concentrating on raising awareness of TTTS to help other families as they prepare for their journey. They also completed the Twins Trust antenatal course to help with preparation. And they offer advice on how to deal with the extra strain of twins and send their best wishes to Jesy and Zion, their joyous new parents.
“We want to extend our congratulations to Jesy and Zion by encouraging them to accept all the support they can get, embrace parenting as best they can, even when the pressure is on, and take regular breaks.”
Our boys are lovely, and we hope that because they will be twins in the future, they will have time to play and look after one another. We are very fortunate to have them.
Victoria remarked, “We also want to thank Twins Trust for being there for us when we really needed the support. It was a very lonely and worrying time.
Visit www. for support and more details. twinstrust . . org
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Source: Mirror
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