McDowell Twins: TTTS Journey

September 20th, 2018. We were all counting down the days until it was here. We knew Bobbi's belly looked nothing like it did when she was pregnant with Jessa. She looked bigger at 20 weeks than she did full term 3 years prior. Is it twins? Triplets? She was in so much discomfort she couldn't imagine another 20 more weeks! I told her she HAD to text me with the big news first! I waited patiently by my phone all morning. I got a message. "It's twins! Baby A is a boy, they are still looking at baby B." I wait patiently for what feels like 3 days....no more messages. I finally text my sister, "WELL?!" She responds, "We just finished. It's not good. 2 babies, 1 placenta."    I immediately start googling. 70% of identical twins are monochronic. 10-15% suffer from Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). This is where one fetus (the donor) pumps blood to the other fetus (the recipient). The unequal distribution of the blood causes one twin to receive too much blood and the other to receive too little. The donor may receive too little of nutrients causing it to not grow properly or have too low of amniotic fluid. The recipient has to work extra hard and this can cause serious complications, such as heart failure. More than 80% of twins suffering from this condition will pass away without medical intervention. Bobbi was referred to Mayo Hospital, in a Rochester, MN. The very next day her and Gabe met with a team of specialist. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 TTTS. This means they can not detect the donor twin's bladder via ultrasound. They told her she could not leave Rochester and scheduled her for surgery the following week. Tuesday, September 25th, Bobbi will have laser surgery done. They will attempt to destroy the connections in the shared placenta and stop the transfusion of blood between the twins. They will also drain some of the excess fluid surrounding the recipient twin. Laser surgery increases the survival rate of at least one twin to more than 80%. They are going to do better than this. They are coming home with both babies! These two have been the most amazing parents to their daughter. We can't wait to see Jessa a big sister to her two brothers. As you can imagine, this has taken a huge toll on them, both emotionally and financially! Bobbi is unable to work as a massage therapist and Gabe recently started back in school.  These funds will be used to help with medical expenses and gas.  They will have to drive to Mayo 1x a week to monitor the babies' progress. If you are unable to support financially, we understand. Please keep the prayers coming!