Mommy Pehpot, Author at Mommy Pehpot

Pregnancy Journey: Vanishing Twin Syndrome is Real And I Experienced It

One month after our first ultrasound and after learning that we’re having twins, we were due for another one. I have been waiting for that day.. really excited to see my babies again. And it’s also the end of my first trim, meaning, I can finally announced that I am pregnant with twins! This pregnancy was not easy, I get tired easily. I can’t even walk my kids to school which was just 300 meters away from our house. I stopped attending events because I just can’t physically. The morning sickness is worse than my other pregnancies. But I am having twins, all these pains are sooo worth it.

Then the unthinkable happened.. on our second ultrasound, the sonographer only saw one baby. I don’t understand.. it’s supposed to be twins! She said my OB will explain… and my mind couldn’t comprehend.. what happened? where is my other baby? what have I done?

The OB said it happens.. and that the genes of the baby is not good and that it will be reabsorbed by the body.. wait.. wait.. where’s my baby again? What happened to my baby? And as the OB finished her routine, I burst into tears.

Why didn’t the OB warned me about it? During our last check up, she said the babies looked fine, though the other one is 2 weeks smaller, they both have a heartbeat. I asked then if I should worry, what are the precautions I need to take.. she said I don’t have to worry. I just need to take my prenatal vitamins.. so what happened?!?

I was crying the whole time.. I was crying the whole day.. I just couldn’t stop wondering what happened? What have I done wrong? Did I fail to do something? What have I done?

I was never prepared for this…there was never a sign that the other baby is not OK.

You know what made me feel better? Aside from my husband’s support and prayers..

GOOGLE

After 4 hours of nonstop crying, I started reading about twins pregnancy and the other twin not surviving. The condition is called Vanishing Twin Syndrome. According to American Pregnancy.org, it was first recognized in 1945. Although most of the cause were unknown, some analysis suggests that there is an abnormality on the chromosome of the twin that vanished.

What are the signs of a possible Vanishing Twin Syndrome?

In my case, there was none. I never experienced anything. I never had bleeding, no cramps, nothing at all. From my ultrasound, they both look healthy, both have a heartbeat. As my OB said, she never suspected anything.

Some readings suggest that women at the age of 30 has a higher risk of experiencing it but it can also be noted that women at this age also has a higher tendency to hyper ovulate (releasing two or more eggs during ovulation which leads to multiple pregnancy).

How to prevent Vanishing Twin Syndrome?

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent it… you won’t even know when the vanishing started.

What happened to the vanishing twin?

In our case, it vanished.. no signs at all inside my womb. The OB said it was absorbed by my body.

What will happen to the surviving baby?

In my readings, most cases said the the surviving baby will be OK because the vanishing happened on the first trimester. If it happened later on the pregnancy, specially after 20 weeks, researchers found that the surviving twin has an increased risk of cerebral palsy. Also, if it happens at around 15 weeks or more, some of the body parts of the baby will be absorb by the surviving twin.

How about the mother? Is there a medical complication on the mother who experienced Vanishing Twin Syndrome?

Most of my readings suggest that there is no physical threat on the mother if the VTS happened on the 1st trim. But emotionally, it is draining. Even though I already know what happened to my other twin, I just can’t help but wonder why.. the feeling of losing a baby is not easy.. even though it was just a few weeks old. For the past month, I have imagined our lives with our twins. The thought of breastfeeding a twin excites me. The thought of caring not just one but two toddlers, overwhelms me positively. And then it was gone.. I am having a hard time accepting the new reality that we are to face.

There are so many “consolations” in our case.. but I still can’t see that in a light way. I need to mourn for the loss of my baby, for a missed opportunity with him or her.

Cheaper By The Half Dozen

When we learned about this pregnancy, I was shocked. It’s not a mixed feelings, it’s really shock and nothing on excitement. I wish I could say it was just a few minutes of selfishness but it was not. It lasted quite a long time before the shock turns into excitement. Having a lot of kids is not that easy and then another one? Oh no no no no…

However, I realized that this is such a huge blessing! Not just the fact that we were able to produce another human being but also because this baby came at the right time. We’re moving to our new house and our finances are doing good. As compared to when we had my other kids, those were difficult, but now, life is easier! There is no more reason to be afraid.

And as the husband puts it, we can always find ways for “our time” even with a new baby.

But still, a part of me is is having a hard time accepting it… I just don’t know if I can still give that much love to another baby.. specially after Sati. She’s our only girl and I couldn’t deny the fact that I am so in love with this princess. I am just do not know if I can love this coming baby as much as I love her…

Of course, my kids are all excited! Sati really loves the idea of her being a big sister and she loves it when we call her “ate”. So I accepted my new baby wholeheartedly with a promise of loving her/him the same way I love ate and the kuyas.

But God has a way of getting the best out of me. Seeing how easy motherhood was for me and knowing I can very well take care of my kids.. He gave us not just one, but two babies!

We’re having TWINS!

To say we’re excited is understatement! Sobrang nakakakilig itoooo!! God really knows what we need.. and though it would be very challenging for us, we’re ready to face it with His guidance.

I started writing this blog post a month ago… and while I wait for my first trimester to end before publishing this blog post, we learned that the other baby vanished… the condition I experienced is called Vanishing Twin Syndrome. If want to know more about VTS, please read my blog post about it: Vanishing Twin Syndrome is True And I Experienced It

Crazy for BMX Bikes – My Boys’ New Hobby

My sons’ new found love for BMX riding first began when Filipino-born Daniel Caulaug took the gold at the Asian Games. It was back in 2014 and ever since, they’ve been obsessed. Thinking they’re going to follow in the footsteps of his BMX hero, maybe one day he’ll also make it to the Olympics.

At first I was skeptical and a little worried. It’s an extreme sport, after all, and my first concern was for his safety. However, I did a little research of my own and learnt a few things about BMX riding. The activity is great exercise, builds strength and burns plenty of calories — approximately 610 per hour. And if you have a son of your own and are looking to build his discipline and confidence, you should try buying him one of the boys BMX bikes at Tesco or from a sports store and see how he gets on with the hobby. They really look forward to the next BMX competion to watch. Unfortunately, BMX was dropped from the 28thSoutheast Asian Games in Singapore. This would have been a brilliant opportunity for him to meet his hero and watch the professionals in action. I’ve been researching upcoming BMX events and if he’s lucky we may visit one.

UCI BMX Supercross World Cup

This premier BMX racing series features the world’s most elite male and female riders from more than 30 countries. It acts as the main qualifier for the Rio De Janeiro Olympic Games to be held in 2016. Events have already taken place earlier this year at Manchester (Great Britain), Papendal (the Netherlands) and Engelholm (Sweden). The next in line is taking place from September 5th-6that Santiago del Estero in Argentina. The location has been a favorite on the circuit for the last three years and was voted the best event in 2014. Famed for its electric atmosphere and warm climate, you can see some of the best BMX bikers in the world at this one.

The final event of the year takes place on September 25th-26th in Rock Hill, USA. This is one of the largest cities in the state of South Carolina and marks a new location for the world cup series. A circuit has been newly built which will also host the 2017 World Championships.

UCI BMX World Championships 2016

This is one of the most thrilling events in the BMX calendar and one which my son would love to attend. The 2015 event has recently taken place at the magnificent Lotto BMX Centre at Circuit Zolder complex in Belgium. Next year it will be held at the new location of Colombia. The city of Medellin will host the competition with a newly built track.
Hopefully we’ll make it to one of these events. If not, we can still cheer on the riders at some of the smaller ones that are happening throughout the year.