Diwali delight: Rare twins survive odds, celebrate first birthday

This Diwali is special in many ways for Mr and Mrs Gill. On Dhanteras, their amniotic twins turn one year, and a day later Vir and Shaurya would celebrate their first Diwali. This certainly is good news for many hopeful parents, who go through complex pregnancies. One such complexity is when the embryo does not split until after the formation of amniotic sac which leads to the formation of monoamniotic twins, wherein the two babies share the same placenta.

The senior consultant of obstetrics and gynaecology in BLK Super Speciality Hospital, Dr Poonam Khera, who monitored the pregnancy of Nidhi, the mother of the twins, advises parents to take it easy and cautiously, while highlighting the challenges in such pregnancies.

On the complexity involved, Dr Khera explained that there are chances of cord entanglement between the twins, which can lead to choking; cord compression, which could stop the flow of nutrition amongst one twin, and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Under TTTS, one twin receives majority of nourishment causing the other twin to become severely undernourished. However, owing to advancements in medical field, diligent care, follow-up, and strict supervision of doctors, such pregnancies are as good as normal ones.

According to the doctors, as first-time parents, they were thrilled to learn on the first ultrasound that they were expecting twins. But their joy was short-lived when they learnt about the multiple risks involved with monoamniotic twins.

Doctors claimed that monoamniotic twins are rare, occurring in approximately one in 35,000 to one in 60,000 pregnancies where serious complications could arise. “Having a set of monoamniotic twins can be precarious and unpredictable. To avoid complications, most twins are delivered prematurely, often by C-section,” added Dr Khera.

Nidhi was advised complete bed rest for 80-90 days to reduce risk during her pregnancy.