A MUM has given birth to ‘MoMo’ twins in a rare pregnancy case, it has been revealed.
Britney Alba was told she was carrying twins for the second time, just six months after giving birth to her first set – boys named Luka and Levi.
University of Alabama at BirminghamBritney Alba deliverd two sets of identical twins, back to back[/caption]
University of Alabama at BirminghamThe first set of twins, Luka and Levi, shared the same placenta[/caption]
University of Alabama at BirminghamBritney with her second set of twins, Lydia and Lynlee[/caption]
The shock pregnancies happen at a rate of three to four in 1,000 live births, medics at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), US, state.
Known as MoMo twins, monochorionic-diamniotic twins are twins with one placenta and two amniotic sacs.
The first set of twins, so in this case, Luka and Levi, both would have shared the same placenta.
This is the organ that connects that umbilical cord to the foetuses, keeping them supplied with oxygen and nutrition.
They also both had their own amniotic sac, which is the thin, liquid filled bag that the babies develop in.
Risks can occur during these pregnancies, as MoMo twins are at risk of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
This is when one baby gets more nourishment than the other.
Dr. Rachel Sinkey, an assistant professor in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology said: “Since they’re essentially swimming in the same sac, their cords can become tangled in a knot, and unfortunately, the rate of stillbirth in these twins is high.”
Luckily, Luka and Levi were born without any complications.
When it came to delivering the second set, Lydia and Lynlee, Britney was taken into hospital at week 25.
The mum said it was “nerve wracking” to think of what she might face and admitted she was worried about how she would cope with leaving her twin boys for a long period of time.
Then at week 32 she underwent a cesarean section to deliver the twins.
The babies were successfully delivered on October 25 2022, and the family was finally able to return home on December 7 – just in time for their first festive period together.
Dr Sinkey added MoMo twins are rare and sometimes “don’t make it”.
Britney and her family are now back at home, but the mum said it “was not an easy journey”.
“We’re lucky to have had the team and resources at UAB to get us through everything. Now that everyone is home, I feel very blessed and humbled to finally have my whole family home,” she added.
In 2015 identical twins given a 50 per cent chance of survival saved each other by hugging in the womb.
Reuben and Theowere monoamniotic in the womb, meaning they shared one amniotic sac and risked strangling each other with their umbilical cords.
But incredibly the twins held hands and stayed tightly wrapped around each other throughout the entire pregnancy which stopped them getting tangled in the cords.