As soon as I laid eyes on my husband, I knew he was The One. At 35, I was ready to settle down, and when a friend set me up on a blind date with Pete, then 37, in November 2014, I quickly fell in love. We married within seven months and couldn’t wait to start a family.
When our son Sebbie was born in October 2017, he was perfect. I loved being a mum, so when I fell pregnant again in September 2019, we were delighted. My stomach quickly ballooned, but as I counted down the days to my first scan, I experienced some bleeding.
At 12 weeks, Pete held my hand as the sonographer looked for a heartbeat.
‘Everything’s fine,’ she said with a smile.
She turned the monitor towards me, and I heaved a sigh of relief, but as I focused on the screen, I realised there were two babies.
‘Identical twins,’ she confirmed.
Overjoyed, I burst out laughing as Pete’s face turned white with shock. But the news quickly sank in and we were both elated.
We were referred to a consultant, who explained that having identical twins isn’t genetic, adding that, like many twin pregnancies, ours were monochorionic, meaning they shared the same placenta.
‘Your pregnancy is considered high risk, and there’s a chance of developing twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which occurs when blood and nutrients are distributed unevenly,’ a doctor explained.
I’d need scans every two weeks, but, if anything were to go wrong, living on the Isle of Wight our nearest hospital with specialist equipment was in Southampton, on the mainland.
This story is from the October 19, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 19, 2021 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HIGHLAND FLING
Welcome to the lesser-seen side of this magnificent land
Should care homes ban alcohol?
When it comes to booze, care homes must balance risk against quality of life, according to a new guide
FROM SCHOOL BUS TO DREAM HOME
Josie Rose, 33, put her practical skills to the test to create a cosy cottage on wheels
I COULDN'T AFFORD MY FRIENDS
When Tej Patel, 41, went through some major life changes, she experienced a friendship wealth gap
EASTER TREATS
Sweet baking projects to whip up this bank holiday weekend
ONE-PAN ROASTS
Stress-free ideas for Easter entertaining
A NEW WOMAN
For Jess Ponting, 37, a surprise diagnosis helped to decode her problematic relationship with food
WHAT'S THE BEST AGE TO FALL IN LOVE?
Apparently, 27 is the magic age most of us meet our soulmate. But these three women prove that love can conquer at any stage of life
TONE UP IN 6 WEEKS FOR FREE!
Slip on your trainers and shape up for spring
₤1 HEALTH BOOSTS
Feeling good doesn't have to cost the earth with these cheap-as-chips lifestyle hacks