Texas Fetal Center (Part4)

After hearing we had stage 1 TTTS and being referred to a new MFM in Houston we were scared and nervous but still hopeful. We were already 24 weeks and the babies were viable at this stage and we had hundreds of prayers being sent up for our boys.

We left our big kids in the care of Brandon's aunt Angie and off to Houston we went. Everybody at the office in Houston was very nice and we felt a little less apprehensive. The specialists in Houston looked at the same things we had looked for previously and then we were sat down with Dr. Moise who explained what was going on and his prognosis. 

He did not think the babies had TTTS after all. The smaller twin had lower fluid but his size and fluid were adequate for an average size baby.  The larger twin had macrosomia (big baby) and some enlargement of the heart due to pumping extra blood. His fluid levels were also high. The boys shared some deep connections in the blood vessels running through their shared placenta. Dr. Moise explained that if we could get to 34 weeks the survival rate and chance of no neurological impairment were very good. If we continued to hold steady we could continue without further intervention, but if TTTS progressed quickly enough by 26 weeks we would consider laser ablation surgery to separate the vessels connecting the boys. To complicate things, I had an anterior placenta (located in the front) so they would have a much more complicated surgery to access it. 

We were told to travel to Houston for weekly scans and continue to see HPC on Fridays in College Station until 26 weeks.

The next two weeks were a flurry of dr appointments and scans and driving just waiting for the other shoe to drop.  It was on our second trip to Houston that i told Brandon we needed to settle on their names.  I felt like they needed names so I could bond with them and talk to them. Calling them twin A and B was so impersonal so we picked names for the boys. The smaller twin was Jesse Alexander and larger twin was Max Elliot. During this second trip to Houston we also got 3D ultrasound pictures so we got to see their little faces and an echocardiogram on Max's heart. They looked ok and even a bit better than before. I had begun to eat as much as possible and increase my protein intake and focus on resting as well. 

Jesse

Max

Jesse

Max

After our third visit to Houston at 27 weeks it seemed we survived the most critical phase and the laser ablation surgery was off the table. We agreed to be closely monitored in College Station by the HPC group instead of driving to Houston.

Links to the detailed story:

Ultrasound reveals all (Part 1)
High risk here we come (Part 2)
Houston Perinatal Consultants (Part 3)
Texas Fetal Center (Part 4)
The Final Stretch (Part 5)
Jesse and Max's Birth Story (Part 6)