To start off, my girls will be 6 months old in one week so let’s just say this is over due and I have like 20 seconds to do this but it’s something I’ve dreamt of doing since I found this app and discovered a community just like me. They are my first pregnancy ever so I’m really excited.

My girls are Monochorionic Diamniotic identical twins. That means they shared a placenta but had separate sacs. I had ultrasounds at 6 and 8 weeks that showed one sac and then one fetal pole and sac respectively. My next ultrasound wasn’t for 4 more weeks and at this point I was monitored how any low risk pregnancy would be monitored. 12 weeks comes along and the ultrasound tech looked shocked. I could see a bean jumping and moving around so I was concerned that they saw something wrong. She went on to take a picture of the ultrasound and put it on a larger screen where she pointed out the beans head, spine, arms and legs a nd continued with and this is your other babies head spine arms and legs..etc. She said very calmly “There’s Twins! I told her to check again. 😂 She put the doppler my belly and we listened to to very different heart beats. She showed me their faces and they bounced off of each other and put in a show. Mind you only 12 weeks so these beans were active! That point on I was labeled high risk and told to prepare to have a c section. Babies that share a placenta run many risks that comprise survival so I was watch much closer and a natural delivery could result in having to have an emergency section for one or both babies anyways. After that I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy until 20 weeks at our anatomy scan when baby A showed narrowing in her main aorta and IUGR and that bumped us even further up the high risk chain. Weekly visits with a specialist and bi weekly visits with OB until 28 weeks when I started to have contractions. I was put on modified bed rest and had the luxury of 2 added weekly appointments for NSTs and weekly ultrasounds for Doppler and fluid readings. I made it to 32 weeks without another scare. At 32 weeks I had a small fluid leak and it was at this point both of the babies were measuring 1-2 weeks behind (IUGR). It got to the point where they talked about admitting me antepartum until my babies would be born. I was extremely against this idea as I knew it would be a lot more stressful for me to be away from home for an extended unknown amount of time so I got steroid shots and took things extremely easily. At 34 weeks babes were still on the smaller side and they hadn’t seen any improvement in baby a’s heart condition so they decided if I were to make it I would be induced the next week. My appointment at 35 weeks shocked everyone. Up until then both babes were transverse on too of each other. During the ultrasound both babies moved head down. Doctors couldn’t believe it. I was only then presented the opportunity to do what I wanted to the whole time and that was to try to have them vaginally. The next day I was in the hospital with a balloon and catheter starting to dilate. From start of induction to baby b’s delivery was a little over 25 hours but my pain management team was so great I had very very mild pain. 1.5 hours of pushing and the were born 14 minutes apart in the OR with mom and dad and all of our team.

Aria Grace 4.4lbs 17in

Alivia Jane 4.11 16.5in

They did have a month long NICU stay but that is a story for another day. If you read this far thank you for taking time. 💖 For these babies we have prayed and I know y’all know that feeling.

5.5 month old 12lbs 💖💖