Doctor Said Her Infant Has 50% Chance of Survival. What Happened Next? WOW!
Doctor Said Her Infant Has 50% Chance of Survival. What Happened Next? WOW!
Kate Lucas and her husband wanted to have a big family, so they were happy when she got pregnant again. The new Lucas baby would be their third child, and everyone was thrilled. At first, everything seemed to be going well. During the first ultrasound, the Lucas family found out that Kate was actually pregnant with twins. Sadly, they also learned some concerning news during the ultrasound. The doctor said that her babies have low chance of survival.
It turned out that the twins were identical twins, which means that one embryo had divided into two fetuses. Normally, this division happens in the first two to four days of pregnancy, when the embryos are still just a tiny ball of cells. This did not happen for the Lucas twins. Their original embryo did not divide into two until almost 13 days after conception. This is a rare condition called monochorionic twin pregnancy, and it comes with many complications.
When an embryo divides into twins too late, it can cause infants to be born as conjoined twins. In the case of the Lucas twins, they had separated just before this could happen. Therefore, there was no protective membrane dividing up the space between the two babies. Without the membrane separating the twins, they could accidentally get strangled in each other’s umbilical cords.
In addition to strangulation risks, there are many other issues with monochorionic twins. They share the same placenta, so their bloodstreams come from the same source. The tangled umbilical cords can easily get blocked, even if they do not strangle the baby. Often, one twin will absorb all the nutrients while the other does not get enough to survive. This can lead to one of the twins dying.
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Because of the many dangers, the doctor cautioned the Lucas family that the pregnancy probably would not be successful. They told Kate that it would be better to keep the pregnancy a secret since she would probably miscarry soon. Kate refused to be surrounded by so much pessimism. She changed to a doctor who knew the risks, but the new doctor was willing to fight for the twins’ survival.
Despite the many risks, the twins continued to grow at a normal rate. As the twins grew and took up more space in the uterus, the risk of strangulation increases. After her 28th week of pregnancy, Kate went to the hospital for constant monitoring. This way, the twins could immediately be removed if one started to strangle. This did not have to occur, so she was able to wait to deliver the twins until her due date was almost there.
The doctors decided to do an early caesarean section as soon as the babies were big enough to survive on their own. This way, they would not risk any further complications. When the babies were removed, the doctors were shocked. The two umbilical cords were twisted and knotted into a complicated braid. It was almost impossible for this to happen without blood flow to one of the twins being blocked.
The two twins, who were named Harper and Cleo, were perfectly healthy despite their early and dangerous birth. They experienced no complications, and they are now two happy, strong eight-year-olds. Though it is very rare, the Lucas twins survived this complicated and dangerous pregnancy.
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