TTTS Parent Stories: Mitchell, Troy & Brooke
After many years of infertility, going through many IVF procedures of which none of worked, operations which failed to find anything wrong with either myself or my husband, we looked into other options of which to have a child in our lives.
After looking into adoption, we then looked more into surrogacy, after reading up on it, looking at lots of related web sites. We found a surrogate mother here in Australia who was willing to have a child for us. She would be what is called a 'Traditional surrogate'. Using her own eggs and my husbands sperm artificially inseminated, she became pregnant on our first attempt. We were over the moon, knowing that we were finally going to be a family and have a child which was my biggest dream in life.
Two and a half weeks later after finding out that our surrogate mother was pregnant, I found out that I too was pregnant!!!! After many years of heartache, this happens and all on its own with no IVF!!!
At 6 week gestation my doctor sent me for a ultrasound, It showed I was going to have twins!.... That day I couldn't believe, after having no children to be going to have children in a year.. It was something hard to get our heads around...
I went to routine checkups with my ob/gyn. At my 20 week ultrasound, my ob was very concerned at one of the babies size and tight sac that was around it. He told me I had TTTS straight away. He could hardly see the membrane dividing the two babies and said to me
'I'm sorry, but your babies will probably no longer live then another 4 weeks'.
My heart fell through the floor and couldn't believe what was happening or what I was being told.
He immediately sent me to a Professor in fetal medicine at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.
That day was one of the hardest in out lives. There was a room full of medical staff and specialists, watching the monitor screen of our babies.
We were given 3 options of what we could do. One was to let nature take its course, this would mean out boys would have little chance of survival. Number two was to have a amino reduction. Number three option which gave us the best odds at 70% survival was to have a septostomy. So after much thought we had the septostomy, which was performed there and then. Under ultrasound, the professor placed two puncture holes through the membrane that divided them. Within a few minutes, we could see the fluid going into our smaller (doner) babies sac. From that day on we had to the hospital twice a week for examinations, ECG's and ultrasounds. I had a fetal heart specialist monitor the babies hearts and their cord blood levels twice a week. The professor checked me over every week too. I couldn't of asked for better or more care.
Every day/ week was a milestone, just to get them a little bit further in their growth and to keep them still alive... In a way I used to dread the ultrasounds just incase they couldn't hear one of their heartbeats.. but trying to keep positive at the same time. I remember the doctors used to have 'meetings' about me, taking video film of the babies and discussing them between themselves and other specialists, when would be the best time to 'take' the babies.
The doctors tried to keep the boys in me for as long as possible, as long as they were in no stress.
At 32 weeks I was admitted to hospital, as I was having some major contractions. I given a course of steroid injections to help develop the boys lungs, seeing it looked like their birth wasn't too far off. From there on I was monitored daily.
On the 25th April 2000 and at 34 weeks gestation, I had an emergency c - section as one of the babies was getting very distressed with the contraction I was having. Troy our biggest twin (recipient) was born first at 2485 grams. He come our crying and I was able to give him a kiss.
Mitchell our smaller baby (donor) was one minute later. He weighed 1870 grams, he come out doing a wee!
Both boys had apgar scores of 9. Both were taken to the NICU straight away. Neither of them needed any ventilation, but needed tube feeding for about 8 days. Troy was first to the bottle, Mitchell a few days later. Troy only stayed in the NICU for about 4 days while Mitchell was in there for about 7 days. He was under lights for a few days and needed a blood exchange while in there. This to do with the TTTS. I wasn't able to hold Mitchell for a week, but just to touch his tiny body through his humidicrib.
Troy was taken to the special care nursery and Mitchell followed a few days later. They stayed in the special care nursery for approx 2 week.
On Mothers day 2000, we were able to take our little boys home with us. The boys have to be monitored by a paeditrician for the next 7 years to keep an eye on their progress and to see if any problems developed.
Our surrogate mother was doing well and was experiencing some contractions. We knew our little baby wasn't far away. On the 1st June 2000, after having to be induced as she went 2 weeks over due, 'Brooke' our baby girl was born.
We were allowed to bring her home from hospital the following day. Our family is now complete,~ 2 miracle little boys and our little girl too. A dream we never thought was possible.
Troy has about a 1/2 kilo weight difference between Mitchell. Troy being the heaviest.
The boys are about the same in height.
Troy is a bigger build then Mitchell. Troy seems to do things first, like when he walked, talked etc. Mitchell follows about 2 weeks later.
Strange but there was always a 2 week growth pattern difference between them while they were in me.
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