1 September 2022

“To say I was surprised to learn I was expecting twins at my 12-week scan was an understatement!” said Amy who lives with her with husband James and toddler son Elliot in Hertfordshire.

“I thought I’d know or experience something different to my first pregnancy, so it really did come as a shock.”

Amy and James were then told their twins were MCDA, monochorionic diamniotic and shared a single placenta. They were then told this type of twins has a risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.

They were initially referred from their local hospital in Barnet to University College Hospital in central London. But due to Covid restrictions were then solely treated at Barnet. Amy was scanned regularly but TTTS was always at the back of her mind.

“It was very reassuring to know that I was being so closely monitored; the twins stayed a similar size throughout. At one-point twin 2 had a bit more fluid, but no-one was concerned.

Towards the end of the pregnancy, tests revealed there was something wrong with Amy’s platelet levels, so she was told a general anaesthetic was necessary for the c-section but again no concern for the babies was raised.

“I was booked in for a c-section at 36 weeks but didn’t make it as I started bleeding at 35 +5. I was in labour”

“In recovery all I wanted was to see my babies but there was only one with me, and my husband James. He quickly told me that they had taken twin 2 away almost immediately. Apparently, she was almost purple in colour as she was the recipient and had received too much blood”

“He was waiting for me to recover and come around from the general anaesthetic and trying to feed Gracie so didn’t know much more about what had happened. I started feeling very panicky, worrying about everything.”

When the consultant came round a few days later and explained what had happened, it was only then that the couple realised just how poorly Lottie had been.

“They kept saying how good it was that the girls were a similar size. Gracie was 4lb and Lottie 5lb at birth, so I think the TTTS was totally unexpected,” said Amy.

"I just feel very grateful and lucky that they are now doing so well. Elliot, who’s now three, is a wonderful big brother and loves his sisters."

We want to support research into TTTS. That’s why I did the 10k walk in summer 2021 and my mother-in-law is holding a her annual ‘Little Bit of Everything Sale’ in aid of the research funded by Twins Trust.

Amy and her friends and family have already raised more than £1,200 for Twins Trust.