As soon as I laid eyes on my husband, I knew he was The One. At 35, I was ready to settle down, and when a friend set me up on a blind date with Pete, then 37, in November 2014, I quickly fell in love. We married within seven months and couldn’t wait to start a family.
When our son Sebbie was born in October 2017, he was perfect. I loved being a mum, so when I fell pregnant again in September 2019, we were delighted. My stomach quickly ballooned, but as I counted down the days to my first scan, I experienced some bleeding.
At 12 weeks, Pete held my hand as the sonographer looked for a heartbeat.
‘Everything’s fine,’ she said with a smile.
She turned the monitor towards me, and I heaved a sigh of relief, but as I focused on the screen, I realised there were two babies.
‘Identical twins,’ she confirmed.
Overjoyed, I burst out laughing as Pete’s face turned white with shock. But the news quickly sank in and we were both elated.
We were referred to a consultant, who explained that having identical twins isn’t genetic, adding that, like many twin pregnancies, ours were monochorionic, meaning they shared the same placenta.
‘Your pregnancy is considered high risk, and there’s a chance of developing twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which occurs when blood and nutrients are distributed unevenly,’ a doctor explained.
I’d need scans every two weeks, but, if anything were to go wrong, living on the Isle of Wight our nearest hospital with specialist equipment was in Southampton, on the mainland.
Denne historien er fra October 19, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 19, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ANITA NAIK A PROBLEM SHARED
Mum-of-two Anita Naik has been an agony aunt for 32 years
ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA
Add the wilds of Kruger National Park to your bucket list, says Amanda James
'LET'S RAISE SOME SERIOUS CASH!'
The Radio 2 DJ is among the hosts of Children In Need…
THREE WOMEN ONE DRESS
Gemma Stevens, 34, needed a wedding dress that had stood the test of time
HOW TO HAVE A SILENT NIGHT
Trouble nodding off? Waking in the early hours? Our experts can help
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on I'm a Celeb, work attire and young drivers
I THOUGHT HE'D COME TO KILL ME
For Sally Meeson, 45, the end of a relationship was the beginning of a nightmare
Loose Women IN CRISIS
With unhappy viewers and panel fall-outs, are the key characters about to be axed?
MAGNIFICENT MAURITIUS
Pe This istand in the ut 7% Indian Ocean feels Sa: like paradise, says Charlotte Richards
I HATE BEING A MUM
One woman, 55, reveals why she resents all of the sacrifices she made to be a mother