A mum has shared the amazing story of survival of her twins who had twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.

Bobbi-Jo Williams, from Kalgoorlie, was just seven weeks into her pregnancy when a scan showed she was having twins. She and her partner, Rohan were over the moon by the news, but it turned to fear when the next scan at 13 weeks revealed some complications.

“They couldn’t find a membrane between the girls, which would have been pretty bad. Eventually they found it, but they discovered that one twin had almost no fluid in her amniotic sac and the other had 10cm, which is way too much,” Bobbi-Jo said.

The couple’s twin girls were diagnosed with Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome — a condition that affects around 20 percent of identical twin pregnancies that share a single placenta. Doctors explained that blood vessels connecting the two umbilical cords on the surface of the placenta allow blood from one twin (the donor) to flow into the other twin (the recipient).

The transfusion of blood happens when there is an imbalance of blood flow from the donor twin to the recipient twin which causes Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.

The couple were told that the best chance for saving the twin girls was through a foetal laser surgery — a procedure that involves passing a small camera into the amniotic sac of the recipient twin. A laser is then used to block the connecting tissues to stop the flow of blood from one twin to the other.

Doctors said that there is about 80 percent chance of one or both twins surviving the procedure and a ten percent chance of developing complications that include brain damage and cerebral palsy. They told the couple that if the procedure wasn’t performed, the twin with the low amniotic fluid would most likely die.

So, Bobbi-Jo decided to have the procedure at just 15 weeks into the pregnancy.

At first, the couple were unable to tell if the procedure was a success, but gradually, the affected twin started showing signs of recovery. Both girls were small for their gestational dates, but the donor twin was larger than the other.

Bobbi-Jo had weekly ultrasounds to monitor the twins’ development. At 30 weeks and six days, the decision was made to get them out as quickly as possible, and so, the girls, who the couple named Rachel and April, were born on Valentine’s Day 2014.

Rachel, who had been the baby who was most at risk of complications, weighed only 860 grams at 30 centimetres long and April was 1370 grams and 35 centimetres. However, it was April who unexpectedly needed resuscitation at birth.

As the girls recovered, April was found to have severe pulmonary stenosis – an obstruction of the blood flow in her heart, and so, she had to undergo surgery at just eight weeks old to repair the problem. It was also discovered that she had cysts on the white matter of her brain – a condition known as periventricular leukomalacia — a white matter disease that may lead to cerebral palsy and global development delay. “They told us it would likely mean that April was going to have physical problems throughout her life, but she’d probably be unaffected mentally,” Bobbi-Jo said.

Now, although April and Rachel both grew and thrived, Rachel was successful in her physical milestones while April fell behind, but their mum said that their situation has only led them closer to each other.

“When we take April for sessions with her physical therapist, Rachel is always there trying to help her learn. They love each other so much. April sees Rachel as motivation and they have each other’s backs,” Bobbi-Jo said.

At two-and-a-half years old, April is learning to walk using a walker, but she’s ahead on her verbal skills.

Bobbi Jo and a group of other mums of multiples are now starting Twin to Twin Transfusion Australia Inc — a charity that hopes to provide emotional and financial support to those who are facing a TTTS diagnosis.

Source: Kidspot.com.au