Rare, High-Risk, Monoamniotic Twins Give Family Best Holiday Gift Ever, Thanks to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

For Release: December 12, 2012

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Allison and Kevin Carlson will soon be taking home two great Christmas gifts from Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford -- a set of rare monoamniotic twins named Kate and Annie, delivered on November 7 at just 30 weeks gestation.

Sharing the same amniotic sac and occurring in less than 1 percent of all U.S. twin pregnancies, monoamniotic twins carry serious risks -- including cord entanglement, which can cut off the blood flow from the placenta to the fetus. With Kate and Annie, the girls’ cords created a perfect but alarming knot and their heart rate was dropping -- leading to an emergency cesarean delivery at Packard Children’s.

As first-time parents, Allison and Kevin thought they were only having one baby, but were thrilled to learn at week 17 that Allison was pregnant with twins. While their excitement quickly turned to a bit of fear when they learned about the dangers involved with monoamniotic twins, they were comforted knowing that the Center for Fetal and Pregnancy Health at Packard Children’s specializes in these and other types of high-risk pregnancies.

Jane Chueh, MD, director of prenatal diagnosis and therapy, and the obstetrical team guided Allison from the day she arrived at Packard Children’s in October through the long weeks leading up to the girls’ emergency delivery -- making sure that she got the rest and care needed to assist the day-to-day growth of the twins, and delay the need for delivery as long as possible. 

Though the high-risk team at Packard Children’s was hoping to get Kate and Annie to at least a November 30 due date to minimize the risk of lung disease and other complications associated with prematurity, the fateful November 7 day came when doctors determined that the twins’ rapidly decreasing heart rate required they enter the world immediately -- about 10 weeks before the babies would hit a full 40-week term.  Said Chueh:  “Our doctors, nurses and neonatologists are able to deliver extraordinary care at a moment’s notice for cases like this.” On one of the scariest days a new mom could ever imagine, “One of the nurses held my hand and spoke to me in a soothing voice as I was getting my anesthesia,” Allison said. “She calmly walked me through the entire procedure.”

Neonatologist William Rhine, MD, was among those monitoring the preemies once they were successfully delivered and arrived in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where the babies -- weighing in at just 3 pounds for Kate and 3 pounds, 2 ounces for Annie -- began life. “It was a testimony to the skill of the obstetricians to allow the twins to grow in the womb as much as they did, so that their lungs were able to mature,” Rhine said. “They perfectly weighed the balance of being born early versus creating a heightened risk of cord compression and entanglement by letting them stay in utero.” 

Now, as the girls approach their first Christmas and a date to take the girls home to Menlo Park, Calif., around the new year, Kate and Annie are already displaying their personalities. Kate is the “calm one,” and Annie the “wild woman,” according to mom and dad. The super-happy parents will be taking the girls home to a nursery decked out with plenty of pink, and the family dog is already sleeping in the girls’ room to stand guard. Kevin is looking forward to a low-key Christmas with his new daughters -- even if he spends it at the hospital helping the girls get healthier. “We’re really grateful,” Kevin said.  ”Despite the chaos surrounding our delivery and pregnancy, Packard Children’s really put us at ease with their experience and expertise, and it’s one of the best holiday gifts a family could ever ask for.”