weight discordance in my mono/di girls

just got back from my u/s at my regular ob's office -- my cervix looked good on the u/s. maddie weighs 2 lbs 15 oz and cilla weighs 4 lbs 1 oz. i guess i should be used to hearing that there is such a big difference btwn them by now, but my heart still breaks a little each time i hear it.

 

Wow, I read you post and blinked. That does look like a huge gap. But watch what I can do with my magic! U/S weights are estimates. So, drop Cilla by 2 oz (not very much) and increase Maddie by 2. This is WELL within the margin of error. Now your twins weigh 3.1 and 3.15. See, that's a lot better, and only a few ounces different from what the tech told you. Or just change them by one ounce, and they weigh 3 and 4 lbs even. That's still a gap, but they're both good weights.

Know I've said it before, but my little one, born 15 oz lighter than her sister, has always been just as healthy and just as developed in terms of milestones. In fact, she has this pixie charisma that is just amazing.

Think positive! Your girls are doing well!

 

thanks! i really needed to hear that!!

:woman:

 

There were 28 oz different my girls. Jessy was slower on her milestone but by no means a problem

 

thanks for the reassurance!!

:ibiggrin: :ibiggrin: :ibiggrin:

 

Just want to say to hang in there. I just read your story ... you are doing great. Keep us posted!

 

thanks!!

 

Hi ladies- I hope you don't mind me posting here. I am currently 18.5 weeks pregnant with mono/di boys. At my 18 week ultrasound, the doctor on call for ultrasounds came in to say she was slightly concerned about my twins difference in weight/size. Twin A is 7.6oz and measures 1 day ahead of my due date and is in the 50th percentile for weight. Twin B is 6.4oz and measures 4 days behind my due date and is in the 32nd percentile. They have a 16% weight difference based on their weights in grams. They both have good bladders, normal amniotic fluid (4.1cm for Baby A and 3.7cm for Baby B) and both were active. The doctor said that the weight difference could be a sign of unequal placenta sharing or TTTS. The good news is that the size difference has pretty much remained the same since my 11 week ultrasound.

I met with my doctor afterwards (she is director of MFM at Cornell in NYC and a great doctor) and she was not concerned about the weight difference. I am starting to really worry and would love to hear from anyone who has experienced this type of size difference and if you could provide any input? It would be much appreciated!

 

i absolutely don't mind that you're posting here... especially b/c your story sounds very similar to what i am dealing w/ right now!

the weight discordance didn't become an issue w/ my mono/di girls until week 26. at my 26 wk u/s at my regular ob's office, 'baby a' (madeleine) weighed 1 lb 10 oz and 'baby b' (priscilla) weighed 2 lbs 7 oz. i was sent to a high-risk ob, and have had 2 subsequent u/s at his office. at one u/s, there was a 24% difference b/t the girls and 2 wks later, the difference was 21%. my high-risk ob doesn't seem to think it's TTTS. he's mentioned that their fluid levels look good, they're very active and both are growing. he also mentioned that they might not be 'true identicals', and there could be a chromosomal abnormality w/ madeleine - but that was a very slight chance. at my last appt on 8/7, he said, at this point, he feels like the discordance is probably being caused by their locations on the placenta.

last week, i had another u/s at my regular ob's office. at that time i was 29w6d and madeleine weighed 2 lbs 15 oz and priscilla weighed 4 lbs 1 oz, which is the biggest difference b/t them yet. i have another appt this friday w/ my high-risk ob, so i'm trying to reserve any real worry for after i have my u/s at his office and i see how big the difference is then.

if your dr. isn't concerned w/ the weight difference right now, you shouldn't worry about it either! sometimes that's easier said than done...believe me, i know! i usually post what i learn after each dr's appt..and i have quite a few appts. please feel free to post the results of your future appts!

talk to you soon and congrats on your twin boys!!

 

aritz- thanks so much for your post. can i ask what the size difference between your twins was prior to 26 weeks? also, did they mention anything about TTTS earlier on in your pregnancy or did they just think it was probably placenta sharing?

 

there was never any mention of a discrepancy before 26 weeks. i had u/s at 12 wks, 13 wks, 17 wks, & 20 wks that were, by all accounts, normal. it wasn't until my u/s at 26 wks that the discordance appeared. at that point, i was referred to the high-risk ob. at the first appt, he mentioned different possibilities, such as TTTS, a chromosomal abnormality or unequal placental sharing, but couldn't narrow down what he suspected was causing the discordance until i had more u/s and he could review a pattern; however, he did say he didn't think it was TTTS. i've had 2 appts w/ him so far. at my second appt, he again stated that he didn't feel it was TTTS, and that it was, mostly likely, their locations on the placenta. i have an appt this friday, so i hope to find out more then.

i hope this answers your questions. if not, please let me know and if you have any other questions, fire away! please keep us posted on anything you find out at subsequent appts! i'll continue to send positive thoughts your way!!

 

well, today was the biggest discordance yet. maddie weighs 2 lbs 15 oz and cilla weighs 4 lbs 5 oz = 31% discordance. however, the dr. said they are both active, doing practice breathing, have good heart rates, have good normal amniotic fluid levels and have good blood flow to/from their umbilical cords, so they are both healthy. he again said that maddie could be attached to the placenta in such a way that she's not getting all the nutrition that she needs or that her umbilical cord is attached to the placenta in a less than desirable position, which again, affects the amount of nutrition she receives.

i'm scheduled for a non-stress test next week and the following week. he said the goal right now is to keep them on the inside and to let them continue to grow b/c that's what's best for them right now. if the non-stress tests indicate that someone is in distress, then we might have to change the plan; but currently, they are both healthy...just not the same size.

again, i wish their weights were closer; but as long as they're healthy, i suppose that's what really matters.

 

how far a long are you now? This is similar to what the girls was when they were born

 

i'm 31 weeks today!!

 

Hopefully they will stay on their growth curve and you can keep cooking them. Jazz weighted 4 lbs 9 oz and Jessy weighted 2 lbs 13oz and 34 weeks and a day. But the both had side impantation of their umbilical cords and Jessy had the 2 vessel. Lil bit just needs to keep on trucking

 

that's what i'm hoping for! i'd love to be able to carry them to term...as long as they are doing well. i'm anxious to see how they're doing when i have my non-stress test next week. it will be my first!

when you were pregnant, was the side that jazz was on bigger than the side that jessy was on? when i look at my belly, the left side (the side priscilla is on) is bigger than my right side (the side madeleine is on).

 

Wow, sorry the discordence hasn't lessened, but glad to hear both girls are growing well. Your doctors sound pretty good for picking up the difference and for following it carefully. 31 weeks is great, keep growing girls!

 

They were transverse so Jessy was above my belly button and Jazz was below my belly button

 

i guess, deep down, i was hoping the discordance would magically disappear, so it really sucks that not only has it not disappeared, but it's getting bigger. of course, i'm just happy to hear that, aside from the weight discordance, the girls appear to be healthy and doing well. tomorrow i go for a biophysical profile. i haven't had one before, so i'm really hoping that i get some more good news about the girls!!

 

Artiz, you're doing great. I went in at 26 weeks and there was a 45% difference in my mono/di girls. They admitted me and kept me on hospital bed rest until I delivered at 33w6d. It was NOT TTTS for us either. My girls did great after some time in the NICU as feeder/growers and are happy, healthy 8 month olds.

I know it's hard, but keep your chin up. You're doing everything you can to help your girls right now. Feel free to PM with questions, as I've been through all of the medical jargon.

 

thanks!! we have our first non-stress test today, so i'm hoping that all goes well w/ that!

btw - your girls are beauties!!

 

had my first biophysical profile of the girls and they each got 10/10!! they each did practice breathing (although it took priscilla quite some time to cooperate!), have good heart rates, good movement, good fluid levels, & good blood flow to/from their umbilical cords!! we have another appt on monday; but so far, so good!! yea!!

 

Yeah! Way to go girls! We always had really nice bpp. My doc did these instead of nsts because they are more accurate on how the babes are doing

 

Hi ladies- I am hoping someone could potentially help me (I osted earlier in the thread about my twins weight difference)

I had my detailed anatomy scan/growth check u/s at 19w5d...

The good news is that the growth differential between the twins decreased to 10% (from 16%). Baby A weighed 11oz and Baby B weighed 10oz (42nd and 32nd percentile, which they said was great for twins). Equal fluid for both babies. We had our full anatomy scan and both babies did great, except that they couldn't get a good view of Baby A's heart so I will go back for that.

The bad news is they told me that Baby B has a 2 vessel instead of 3 vessel cord. He does not have a velamentous cord insertion however (spelling might be off). I am assuming that this is the reason he has been a little smaller than baby A. Apparently it is a soft marker for trisomy (not that worried since I am only 27 and my nuchal, afp, etc. have come back with a very minimal risk- however somewhat nervewracking..) and it can cause congenital problems...seems like we don't have that though since our anatomy scan came back fine? Not sure how much comfort we can get from that? They didn't discuss this with me, but I read it online. Lastly and likely the most concerning is that the 2 vessel can prohibit growth...they said everything looked fine so far and the doppler showed good blood flow and they said most babies with a 2 vessel cord do perfectly fine and have zero problems and that the growth slowdown typically happens later in the pregnancy. The doc (not my doc but the doc on call for ultrasounds) said they would continue to monitor it closely. Also, my placenta has not moved up yet so I still have placenta previa.

Does anyone have any experience with two vessel cords?

Thoughts on 2 vessel cords???

 

Fantastic news, Aritz! Healthy babes are healthy babes whatever their size; that's wonderful news. To the extent it matters, my money's on your babes turning out to be fraternal and not so far apart in weight as the u/s think. If they were frat, they would just be different babes, each growing at their own pace but perfect in their own way. But that's kinda semantic at this point. Keep up the good work you three!

Morgan - Don't know much about 2 vessel cords, just what your doc said, that it can be OK but is a reason to keep a close eye on things. You might get more of an answer if you start a thread on the topic. And don't let internet research get you too down!

 

yeah, i was super happy!! hoping that monday's bpp goes just as well!!

 

gena 22 -- thanks!! i was thrilled after the bpp on wednesday and hoping that monday's bpp brings more of the same!

morgan -- sorry, i don't know anything about 2 vessel cords and my dr. never mentioned it to me; but i'm w/ gena 22, if you start your own thread on the subject, i'll bet you're bound to get feedback!

 

each of the girls got another perfect score on each of their BPPs!! so far, it looks like they're doing great.

btw -- i asked the dr. about the 2 vessel cord and velamentous cord insertion. he told me both of those possibilites have been ruled out.

 

Artiz, great news! So happy to hear that.

I had a fetal echo for both my babies because of the 2 vessel cord issue. Things went well and there are no indications of any problems from the cord so far. I also had a fluid check at 21 weeks and all is well with the babies and both have equal, good amounts of fluid. They have a growth check on Thursday at 22 weeks and hopefully they will maintain their size differential and keep growing nice and big!

 

that's great news!! sounds like your boys are doing just fine!! after thursday's growth check, let me know what their weights are and how they're doing.

i have 2 BPP appointments this week - one on tuesday and one on friday. i'm hoping they go as well as the previous BPPs. i also think they will probably take measurements to determine their weights this week, too. i'm really anxious to find out those!

again, congrats on your good appointments...hopefully, they'll keep it up! keep me posted!!

 

From 26 weeks on we were in for 2 bpp a week with one of those being a measurement u/s. Sounds like they have you on the same sort of monitoring. I loved my high risk ob doc. He and the other docs in his group were great.

 

i'm happy that they're being monitored so closely and i really like my high risk ob, too! only a few more weeks left before i get to meet my girls!

 

Just thought i'd post here too! The discordance between my girls is much better! It went from 22% down to 8%. Baby A weighs 1 lb. 14 oz and Baby B weighs 1 lb. 12 oz. The pressures in their cords was 5 and 3 and now they are both right around 3. I'm so excited! The bedrest worked so he said I have to continue it. But i Can do it!

 

wow! that's great!! go girls...and mommy, too!!

 

Hi ladies,

Not so great news for me at my 21w6d ultrasound yesterday. Baby B didn't grow as well as my doctor hoped and dropped from the 32nd percentile to the 17th percentile. He was 13.5oz (379g). Baby A also dropped from the 42nd percentile to the 33rd percentile but I guess that wasn't so concerning. He weighed 1lb (455g), so fairly on track.

My doctor told me we won't really know more until my next growth check in 2 weeks to see if Baby B continues to grow normally (or at least at the same pace). It's pretty terrifying. They said if even if he grows just a little that will be ok too, as long as he is growing. The silver lining is that both babies had good blood flow through the umbilical cord and good fluid. Both were super active. So that is very positive news.

I am now on modified bed rest and trying to eat as much as possible. The doctor seems to think that it is unequal placenta share that is causing the problem (but Baby B also has a 2 vessel cord).

Our goal is to make it to 32 weeks, or at least 28 weeks when the babies typically don't have longstanding health problems resulting from beeing preemies. I am just so disappointed- I really was feeling so good after my last ultrasound 2 weeks ago.