Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Babies beat odds
Life-saving womb op
For several anxious months, Coatbridge parents-to-be Lynsey Hay and Anthony Drake feared losing their precious twin baby boys.
But “wee miracles” Elliot and Oliver defied the odds and, thanks to life-saving surgery while they were still in the womb, are now set to enjoy their first Christmas together.
Lynsey, 27, and fiancé Anthony, 28, were “nervous but delighted” when they were told they were expecting identical twins.
However, the news was tinged with sadness when medical staff explained the twins risked developing rare condition TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome) – where one sibling gets too much blood in the womb and the other not enough.
The stunned couple’s worst fears came true when a TTTS diagnosis was made just weeks later.
But remarkable little Elliot and Oliver were born via emergency C-section at 34 weeks in Glasgow’s Princess Royal Maternity hospital in July, with both weighing exactly 4lbs 1oz.
Lynsey said: “Throughout the pregnancy our motto was ‘prepare for the worst but hope for the best’.
“The possibility of losing one or both of them was always hanging over us, but thankfully we’re so lucky to have both boys with us.
“I’ve read so many stories of other families who weren’t as lucky as us – we feel incredibly grateful that they’re healthy and well.”
Nursery nurse Lynsey and lorry driver Anthony already had a daughter, Amelia, when they decided to try for one more child – but then their scan revealed two heartbeats.
“It was a bit overwhelming but we were happy too,” said Lynsey.
“But I did think, ‘how will we cope with three children?’
“We were then told it was a complicated pregnancy and high risk because they shared a placenta – then we almost didn’t want to look forward to anything in case something bad happened. “There were so many different emotions.” Anthony was allowed into the hospital room to comfort Lynsey while the crucial laser ablation surgery was being performed.
A camera and laser were inserted into Lynsey’s womb through her stomach and doctors used the laser to seal off the connecting blood vessels in the placenta.
Lynsey said: “We were both so nervous waiting to hear whether the surgery had been successful; when we had a scan afterwards and there were two heartbeats it was such a great feeling.
“We felt so confident in the medical staff at Glasgow, particularly our consultant. She was so caring and considerate.”
Following the life- saving surgery, Lynsey continued to receive regular scans to check on her babies and eventually they were reduced from two per week to one.
She added: “At 30 weeks I felt much better and more comfortable – it made me realise how uncomfortable I’d been prior to the surgery.
“I felt so much lighter and I didn’t need a hot water bottle in the car for my back anymore; it was almost like I wasn’t even pregnant with twins.
“We spoke with our consultant and were booked in for a C-section for July 4; but the twins had other ideas and my waters broke on July 1!
“They’re five months now and they’re doing so well. They are still a bit smaller than singleton babies but definitely growing well and starting to show their personalities.
“Elliot seems more outgoing and feisty while Oliver is quite laid back and chilled.
“Amelia loves being a big sister, although she doesn’t get what all the fuss is about when people see them and remark k on them being identical twins – to her r they’re just her brothers.
“When I look at them now, I do still l think about the fact they might not have e been here. We can’t imagine life without t them – they’re our wee miracles.”
Lynsey and Anthony decided to share their remarkable story as part of TTTS awareness month and also want to encourage people to donate to charity Tamba, Twins and Multiple Births Association’s TTTS Registry – a project collecting data on TTTS cases s which it’s hoped will improve outcomes s for babies.