Rare 'Mono Mono' Twins Beat 1-in-10,000 Odds to Live, Now Doing Well in Ohio
A set of extremely rare monoamniotic twins were doing well on Mother's Day and breathing on their own. The girls were born on Friday, just a few days before the holiday, and are expected to continue improving and doing well.
Monoamniotic twins share an amniotic sac and placenta. According to doctors, the situation only occurs in one out of every 10,000 pregnancies. In this case, the two babies were both girls, identical twins, and survived the pregnancy and delivery. Named Jenna and Jillian, the baby girls were reportedly "grasping each other's hands" as they were taken from their mother's womb.
"They're already best friends," mom Sarah Thistlethwaite told Ohio.com. "I can't believe they were holding hands. That's amazing. It's a complete miracle."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The baby girls, born at 33 weeks and two days were removed from their ventilators on Sunday. The two are doing well and constantly improving. Dr. Mohammed Elkhwad, their neonatologist, said that they should not need any extra medical care once they leave the hospital.
Akron General Medical Center has delivered two sets of "mono mono" twins. Another mother is scheduled to deliver her twins, Janiya and Amaya, within the week. The hospital is set up to handle high-risk pregnancies. Dr. Melissa Mancuso explained that she has delivered several sets of "mono mono" twins during her 11-year career.
Sarah told the press that the hardest part of her pregnancy was being away from 15-month-old son Jaxon. She had been in the hospital, on bed rest, since March 14. She was not even allowed to pick up her son for fear of endangering the twins' health and delicate positioning inside the womb. Now, though, she is ready to go home and begin her life with three children. The babies will likely be in the hospital another two to four weeks.
The entire family is ready to be together again, for good, once the babies are released. Sarah is expected to go home tomorrow, on May 13.
