I have been having some curiosities with my twins pregnancy. One of it was about the placenta. You know how complicated it could turn out inside when carrying twins and there are many things you never knew and understand before this of the twin pregnancies process itself and of your own organs during that period of time.
It might not get complicated when having one baby because everything will be singular, but for twins, not every womb's organ existed to help during the pregnancy will be double to help the babies's growth such as this placenta or 'uri'. When the doctor and the sonographer mentioned that they could not detected whether I have 2 'uri-s' or just one for both babies, I was blurred at first.
I thought that 'uri' a.k.a placenta was the sacks (kantung) that contained the amniotic fluids (air ketuban). That is why I said, when u are carrying single baby it is easier to understand your own pregnancy organs because everything is singular. But when it comes to twins, I just finally knew that the sack and placenta are two different things with different functions....haha :)
The placenta is an important organ that functions during pregnancy to provide a fetus with oxygen and nutrients and take away waste. It forms along the uterine wall of the mother and connects to the fetus via the umbilical cord.
So, in twins cases, there will be 2 sacks, one each for babies, but the number of placenta may vary. Some have two but some might have only one placenta, which in this case the babies will share whatever they need from the mother through one source. This is where things might get complicated. I know that sharing is caring but in this case sharing everything from one source to help you grow might not be helpful for you sometimes. This is because logically you will never going to have everything you need and want in the same amount of the other person you are sharing something with....see what I mean?
This is the doctor's main concern in twin cases because when this happened, one of the babies might get less nutrients they need and will be smaller in size than the other baby. So, as you can guess there might be health issues later on with one of the baby. That is why, the doctor informed me that I need to do the ultrasound every 2 to 3 weeks so that they can monitor the sizes of each baby to ensure that they grow at the same rate. If anything goes wrong, early detection is better when the babies is still in their second and early third trimester like me since a new technology was developed recently to correct the condition.
However, the facility is currently available in GHKL and GH Ipoh for the time being. The technology uses laser to cut whatever overbalance ties of the bigger baby with the placenta to allow more nutrient for the smaller baby to absorb. If early detection was not possible, things could get worse and to correct this condition, the procedure might get a little painful since the doctor told me that your doctor had to inject your womb to reduce the amniotic fluid in the bigger baby in certain period of time until you give birth.
In my case, they are treating me as twins with one placenta since they could not detected any two different placentas because I started my check-ups in UMMC when I was on my 19 weeks already **Put the blame on UMMC staff for the late appointment they gave me although I have told them about the twins** The number of placenta could only be detected during ultrasound in 1st trimester. When the babies grow bigger, it is impossible to see, even through ultrasound the exact number of placentas you have when carrying twins. I haven't consult Dr. Harris in SDMC yet of the ultrasound report when I went to see him for my first pregnancy check-up during my first trimester. He did not informed me as well about the placenta and I was so shocked to even asked him anything I was supposed to ask. Besides, who might understand the true risks when pregnant with twins unless you are a doctor yourselves.
But as far as I'm and the doctor's concerned, whether it is one or two placentas, both of the babies' growth are in the normal rates. So, there is nothing to be worried about....alhamdulillah, so grateful to Allah s.w.t.
No comments:
Post a Comment