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Babies in seperate sacs?? UPDATE

Hi ladies,

I think i have too much time on my hands as i am finding something new to worry about constantly...
I had my 12 wk scan at the start of feb when we discovered we were having twins. When the mw was doing the scan she initially thought that the babies are in the same sac but after ages looking around she finally said she saw a VERY fine line indicating that thery are in seperate sacs. She was trying to show me but i couldn't make it out, basically she didn't convince me. I have since been looking at other peolpe's 12wk scan pics on line and notice that on most when they are in seperate sacs you can see a really clear thick dividing line between the sacs but on mine you see nothing!
I know i'm probably being stupid & will just have to wait for my 20wk scan on 2nd april but i'm just worried as i know being in the same sac is more risky right??
I wondered what you lot of experts thought lol! xx
Here is a link to the pic...http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af44/lmt80/12 wk scan/03022010064.jpg

UPDATE;

Just to let you all know, i had my 20wk scan last week & there is definately a thin membrane seperating the babies. They could not say though if i have one placenta or two so still no idea if they are ID or NON? Apparently it looks like one placenta but could also just be two that have fused together? There was a small size difference but i was told it was within normal limits & it is very common for twins to be slightly different in size. Unfortunately the grumpy sonographer would not tell us the sex as in her opinion it didn't matter??!!!! So we went for a private gender scan this week & it looks like we are having two more girls! There are gonna be A LOT of hormones in my house :lol: Poor hubby!
Hope everyone is well xx

[Modified by: lmt on 09 April 2010 21:31:14 ]
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Replies

  • Hey hun,

    Just thought id try and reassure you that you cant see the line on many of my pictures. We often only got fleeting glimpses of it during the scans, and sometimes the sonographer would just have to turn the screen so he could see it, let alone us!

    At my original private scan at 10 weeks, I was told they were in the same sac as you couldnt see the line.

    Same sac pregnancies are more tricky with the chance of cord entanglement mainly, but they would have wanted to make sure and probably wouldnt have told you they were if they werent. Also, my notes had to have a picture of the membrane in them, even if I couldnt see it. It was often the thing that took the longest! lol

    I am surprised youre not having a scan until 20 weeks though. My boys were identical and I had scans at 12, 16, 19, 21, 24 and every 2 weeks after that.

    Gemma, Ryan and Alfie 22 + 4
  • It sounds like your twins are MC/DA like my girls. Therefore, they are in the same large sac but have a very thin membrane dividing them.
    You're right, if they were in separate sacs, it would be very clear. As Gemma says, on most of my scans, it was very hard to pick out the membrane as it "floats" and is very thin.

    Being in the same sac is slightly more risky but you should be closely monitored. I really would query the frequency of your scans though. You should get a nuchal scan on the NHS if you haven't already had one (blood tests are inaccurate for twins) and should be getting scans more regularly (and before 20 weeks) to check that the babies are growing well. What's most important for MCDA twins (if that's what you are carrying) is to check bladder function and amniotic fluid levels around both twins.

    With all due respect to medical teams, many hospitals have very little experience of dealing with twins (especially ID ones) so it's really important that you make a nuisance of yourself (in a good way I mean!) if you are not happy about the level of care you're getting

    xx
  • Second everything T4BM says about medics and scans. I had a hell of a time in certain aspects of my pg as I knew more than the Drs!
  • Thank you both, as usual you are much more useful than the NHS!
    I just keep thinking back to how unsure the mw doing the scan seemed (thought it odd actually that it was a mw doing the scan & not a dr?) She also said that the twins were non id due to them apparently being in different sacs but from what i have read that is not necesserily the case??
    I have looked into my local hospital a little on drfosterhealth.co.uk & apparently they only had 5 multiple births last year so now i'm thinking they probably don't know what they are talking about!
    As for the scans they don't even do the neuchal fold scan here & you are right i didn't have the blood tests either as they would have been inaccurate anyway. Soooo annoying, i had it with dd but we moved to this area last year & while it is lovely the medical care seems pretty backwards. I thought i'd have had more scans too but apparently it's just 12, 20, 28 then every two weeks. I'm seriously tempted to go for a private scan, i just want to know for sure what "kind" of twins we are having & that they are ok.
    xx
  • I didnt have a nuchal scan either - although I was offered one but my hospital didnt do it and I wouldve had to travel to Norwich or Cambridge which I didnt fancy doing as I wasnt fussed either way.

    Im also surprised a mw did your scan. I had a mw and a sonographer in on my scans then saw a consultant after every one too.

    Much of the information I got came from Tamba...the messageboards are fab and you can read them without joining. I do recommend you join though as they are fab with discounts for places such as Clarks.

    Im not sure your scan times are very good. If your twins are ID - which you are right they could be if they share a placenta (although placentas can fuse so they can never be 100% sure) - then you will need more scans to check for abnormalities, namely twin to twin transfusion syndrome (where one twin takes nutrients from the other). This can develop at any time during your pregnancy, but there are specific indicator dates and im sure one of these is 16 weeks??
  • Hi, Where are you, in the uk? Not to worry you atll, but you should be receiving more scans for sure, I had the lets say 'least complicated' twins, Non-id and separate sac's, ad was scanned 12wk / 13wk for nuchal, the 20wk / 24wk / 28wk / 32wk / 36wk (basically every 4 wks), and ID's should be every 2 wks.

    Em, x
  • mine were none-id and after 20wks i had scans every 4wks,so that sounds about right,i didnt have the nuchal scan or the blood tests,the doctor said that they dont tend to do them as if the test came back as high they wouldnt be able to tell which baby it was

    sarah
  • Not sure how many weeks you are now but your maternity notes should now say that your are "consultant led" rather than "midwife led".

    This being the case, you should see your consultant to "book in" at 14 weeks and then see him regularly. I had fortnightly scans from 16 weeks and saw the consultant every 4 weeks until 28 weeks (after which I saw him fortnightly).

    I really would urge you to push for the care you are entitled to. It was thanks to the regular monitoring of my local hospital and quick referral to a hospital that specialised in multiple pregnancies (as my local hospital freely admitted they didn't know that they were doing!) that I have 2 healthy babies today.

    I'm not trying to scare you by any means but you really are entitled to some closer monitoring than you're getting at the moment.

    xx
  • I am in NE Scotland now so unfortunately the hospitals are few and far between. Something i never considered when we moved here!
    I did see my consultant after my 12wk scan but don't see him again till 20 wks, then 28 wks. I just thought it odd that he didn't look in on the scan himself?? It does seem odd to me that i don't get much more monitoring than when i had my dd who was obviously totally straightforward.
    I think i will TRY!!! to talk to my mw as she has triplets so would hopefully know how the hospital usually work with multiples e.t.c.
    Will let you all know how i get on.
    Thanks again. xx
  • the consultant that i had,he never came in the room when i had my scan but after 20wks i did see him every 4wks when i was having my scan

    sarah
  • i really understand the worry you have iv just had id twins the ones with one placenta and one sac no deviding membrane.. MC/MA twins i had a scan at 12 weeks, 20 then every 2 weeks then from 30 weeks to 33 weeks i had 2 scans a week to check the blood flow and bladders of the babies.. .. they were born at 33+6 (planned c-section for 34+3) but due to growth restriction i had them a tad earlier!! perfect lil ones they are spent only 16days in scbu then came home with me image they are a month old now and doing really well.
    good luck and hope this helps xxxx
  • Hi,
    I recently found out i was expecting twins, I had a scan at 9 weeks and I can clearly see they are in seperate sacs, although they are only blobs on the scan pic. I've set it as my avatar if you want to look. As for the extra care I know i'm getting scans at 20/24/28 weeks etc but that is because my previous pregnancy ended badly and i will be consultant led care. I hope you find the answers you want xx
  • Thats fab news. They said the same to me about placentas fusing, but that I should assume ID if there is only one visible placenta and they would also assume ID, hense section delivery at 36 + 2.

    xx
  • hi,i am 15 weeks pregnant with non-identical twins.i have had really good marternity care upto now (found out i was pregnant at 3 weeks).i am having scans every 4 weeks and seeing doctor after each scan,i also see midwife in between these appointments!its a shame that not all women get the same treatment,with multiple births its alot scarier!i have been relly ill with my pregnancy (dont know about you guys?),i had terrible morning sickness,horrible crippling headaches and really bad heartburn!!!needless to say i am hoping this eases with time lol!i hope you sort out your maternity care,kerrie x
  • Congrats Kerrie! I've felt pretty awful this pregnancy too, totally different than with dd. For me the headaches eased a lot after about 16ish weeks. Hope they do for you too. The main problem i have now is really bad spd. I was given crutches at 21 weeks and really can't walk much anymore! Not everyone gets this though so don't worry.
    Glad you've got such good care, you are lucky. My hospital's approach to multiple pregnancy seems to be very very vague. I have an internal scan next week to check for signs of prem labour & i will finally see my dr again (first time since 12wks-now 24wks). Let's hope they show a little more interest at this appointment!
    xx
  • Imt,you should tell the hospital you are not happy with your care,you should be seen at more often than that.i am seen every 2 weeks by either the hospital or the midwife!dont feel to bad at the minute,15+2 but my son has just come down with chicken pox,so busy stopping him from scratching lol!hope all goes well at your appointment x
  • Kerrie, are you seen so much just because you have a multiple pregnancy or have you had previous problems?? Sorry to ask it just seems like you are getting a lot of care. I'm 17 weeks now with twins and apart from seeing a consultant and scan at 12 weeks, and midwife at 16 i won't see anyone else until i'm 20 weeks. I thought i would get lots of extra care as my last son was stillborn at 27 weeks. Even from 20 weeks it's every 4 weeks up to a certain point.
    LMT - i dread getting SPD, i'm already finding it uncomfortable when i'm on my feet for 10 mins or more so keeping my fingers crossed i don't get it. I really feel for you having to cope with the pain and struggling on crutches xx
  • think it is probably a fluke more than anthing.i was told i would see midwife once a month and have a scan once a month,it just happens to be that they are a couple of weeks apart.the doctor checks on me after the scan aswell!sorry to hear about your pregnancy ending badly and i agree i would of thought you would have more care.i have 3 boys,the oldest was under weight and had to stay in hospital for a week,but other than that no problems.like i said its probably just how my appointmentts have been worked out.hope that helped and i hope everything works out well for you!
  • Oh well, it looks like you have got lucky, it all depends on the area you live in. I'm not complaining as i'm still getting more care than those with a single pregnancy. Butterfly, you've got lucky too!! At least i only have just over 2 weeks to my next scan, then i'll be monthly too, yay!! Kerry, you must be due in Oct, me too, you should pop into the due in Oct forum too, there's a couple of twin mums to be that post in there xx
  • Oh well, it looks like you have got lucky, it all depends on the area you live in. I'm not complaining as i'm still getting more care than those with a single pregnancy. Butterfly, you've got lucky too!! At least i only have just over 2 weeks to my next scan, then i'll be monthly too, yay!! Kerry, you must be due in Oct, me too, you should pop into the due in Oct forum too, there's a couple of twin mums to be that post in there xx
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