Gerbers grateful for in-state care for twins
The UNC School of Medicine is the only institution in the Southeast to treat twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
Excitement. Disbelief. Panic.
Emotions are mixed for families expecting twins. Many complications can occur with a twin pregnancy: premature birth, low birth weight, preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. There are also rare cases of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
TTTS is a prenatal condition in which twins share unequal amounts of the placenta’s blood supply. This results in the two fetuses growing at different rates, a high-risk condition that comes with serious complications and even death if left untreated. Identical twins account for a third of all twin pregnancies. About two-thirds of identical twins share one placenta. Of those, 10-15% will go on to develop TTTS.
With its advanced diagnostics and surgical and medical treatments, the maternal fetal medicine unit in the obstetrics and gynecology department at the UNC School of Medicine is the only institution in the state and in the Southeast to offer procedures to treat TTTS. Dr. William Goodnight, associate professor of maternal fetal medicine, says his team completes about 20 TTTS cases a year.
Here’s the story of the Gerber family.
Access to expert care in home state
Brooklyn Gerber and her husband, Bryan, of Greenville, North Carolina, already had a 4-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy when they discovered they were expecting again. However, Brooklyn Gerber knew the symptoms for this pregnancy were different.
“I felt more fatigued, and the nausea was terrible compared to my other two pregnancies,” she said. At seven weeks, she found out she was carrying twins who shared a placenta, the ones with an increased risk for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
“I went to my primary OB for ultrasounds every two weeks for twin-twin surveillance,” she said. Everything looked fine until the 17th week, when the ultrasound revealed discrepancies in both the amniotic fluid levels and the size of the babies.
East Carolina University maternal fetal medicine quickly contacted UNC School of Medicine to schedule a consultation with Goodnight. Following a thorough prenatal ultrasound, imaging reviews and discussions of treatment options and their inherent risks, the Gerbers scheduled fetoscopic laser surgery at UNC Hospitals.
“It was truly a stressful time,” said Bryan Gerber. “There are only a handful of centers in the country who perform this type of procedure, and UNC was one of them.”
(Submitted photo)
“It was huge for us to be able to travel only two hours away from home and be gone only a couple of days for the surgery,” said Brooklyn Gerber. “Also, to be able to travel back for follow-up care for a couple of weeks without having to go too far from home was incredible. We were thrilled to receive this kind of care in our home state.”
After she had the laser surgery, her pregnancy began to return to normal. Thoughts of risks and complications still unsettled her; however, neither she nor her husband gave up hope for their boys. The original due date was Feb. 21, but she delivered her boys at ECU Health on Jan. 16 at almost 35 weeks. Bennett was 6 pounds, 5 ounces and Banks was 6 pounds. After spending almost two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit, both boys are now at home and thriving with their big brother and sister.
“I would definitely recommend UNC Maternal Fetal Medicine to anyone else in the area going through the same circumstance,” said Brooklyn Gerber. “I think it’s fabulous that people can have access to this procedure locally and not have to travel across the country if they need this done. We are very thankful and so fortunate!”
