Here we go

Yesterday I had the "big" u/s at 18w4d. We got the wonderful news that we're expecting twin girls!!!  I was not totally prepared for the other news we received. Our girls are in stage 1 of TTTS or Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrom. This is a very serious disease of the placenta that only affects about 10-15% of identical twin pregnancies.
TTTS occurs when the babies are not sharing the bloodflow from the placenta equally. One baby is the donor, or smaller baby, and the recipient is the bigger baby. TTTS happens because of abnormalities in the placenta. There's no known reason why this occurs or of ways to prevent it. It just happens.

TTTS has been a fear of mine since I found out we were having identical twins. I had seen show years ago about a woman who lost one of her babies. That story stuck with me and so I knew of this possible risk very early on.

We are in stage 1 of 5. That's the good news. The bad news is that TTTS is unpredictable and can very quickly get much worse.

It looks like we will be going to Cinncinatti either next Wed. or Thurs for an evaluation with the doctors at the Fetal Medical Center there. I will be watched very closely in the next few weeks to see how everything is progressing. I will mostly likely need a laser surgery to disconnect the blood vessels between the babies so they will hopefully share more equally. The statistics are rather grim though on the survival rate after surgery.  I think it's like a 50% chance that I could still lose one or both babies even after the procedure. 

This is so hard to soak in. I am trying really hard to lean on God right now and to trust Him through this. But I'm scared. I'm scared for my babies and for us.

For the few of you that read this, please pray specifically that the TTTS does not get any worse. There have been cases where it never progresses past stage 1.  That is my prayer right now.   Every week I can keep these girls inside me without any progression of TTTS is crucial for their survival.