Surprise... you’re having twins!

Bruce was so excited to find out he was going to become a Dad. Judy and Bruce hadn’t planned on having a family, but when they found out they were pregnant, Bruce was over the moon.

During a routine scan at 20 weeks they were given the unexpected news that they were actually expecting twins, they were both shocked and it took a while for the news to sink in.

Bruce said “We found out we were expecting in January and by the end of May, our whole world had changed, I was going to be a dad to two boys instead of one, we got married and we bought a house. So it’s been a big year.”

After the excitement and nerves of finding out about the twins, Bruce returned to work, flying in and out of Sydney as an Engineer.

“I was just about to board the plane when I received a call from Judy in tears, after not feeling well and visiting the hospital, she was told that the twins were suffering from a condition called Twin to Twin Transfer,” said Bruce.

The news was completely overwhelming for the couple and Bruce just wanted to get back to Brisbane to support Judy as the diagnosis got more serious. After the initial diagnosis it was discovered that the babies were also suffering from Twin Anaemia Polycythainia Sequence (TAPS).

After talking with Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists at Mater Mothers’, they opted for an expectant management plan that involves monitoring the pregnancy by regular ultrasound scans but without any specific treatment.

“We visited the hospital three times a week, so we knew the place really well. The boys were doing really well but we always knew that the plan was to get as close to 32 weeks as possible,” he said.

At 31 weeks and four days at a routine ultrasound, one of the twins was showing signs of distress and a decision to deliver the babies the next day was made.

“It all happened so quickly we arrived at hospital first thing in the morning and I was just resting my eyes when the midwife noticed that Ethan wasn’t doing so well. Within a minute Judy was being rushed to theatre and I returned from the bathroom to find the room empty,” he said.

Bruce was quickly whisked off to the operating theatre and joined Judy holding her hand through the caesarean section.

Close to 40 minutes later Judy and Bruce had welcomed little Ethan and Elijah, weighing 1595 grams and 1295 grams respectively. Due to their condition the boys were rushed to Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care unit where they spent their first seven weeks.

 “It’s a great feeling to be able to take the boys home, I can’t wait to settle into life as a family and watch them get stronger and bigger every day,” said Bruce.