In early December of 2012, Tyler and I found out I was pregnant with twins. We were on top of the world!! Our family of three was about to expand and our babies were scheduled to arrive on July 24th. Needless to say we were ecstatic! However, the excitement came to a screeching hault just weeks later when, at 10 weeks gestation, I was put on bed rest after doctors discovered the babies were Monochorionic twins, meaning they shared the same placenta. I knew about prematurity but after having already delivered one full term, healthy little girl, I never expected it could or would happen to us. Shortly after, our babies were diagnosed with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome and I began having weekly ultrasounds to monitor their progress. Doctors were happy with the pregnancy, the bed rest seemed to be helping, and everything was going well! However, on May 12th, while my husband was out of town, mother’s intuition kicked in. I knew something wasn’t right. I wasn’t feeling myself, so I went to the hospital. The treatment I received at Wheeling Hospital was super, but they too were concerned, so I was transported to West Penn in Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, doctors ran test after test and discovered that as a complication of the Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, Baby A had most of the amniotic fluid around her, while Baby B had very little. This was now a life threatening complication. Our world was crumbling, Tyler and I were more scared than we had ever been, and things were looking very glum for our family. Hours later, doctors decided that the best chance at saving their lives was to deliver them via C-section. Being born 11 weeks early, at just 29 weeks gestation was a risk, but it was their only chance of survival. We were told the next 48 hours would be very crucial. When the girls were born, we weren’t allowed to hold them, in fact it would be a full 24 hours later before we would even get to see them again. They were so tiny – Brittyn weighted just 1 lb 14 oz. and Brynlee weighted 2 lb 6 oz. I remember, they were in incubators and hooked up to ivs with monitors and tubes everywhere. We felt so helpless, our two beautiful girls were fighting to survive and as their parents, there was nothing we could do. It would be a full month and a half before we were allowed to hold them. During this time, both twins received surfactant therapy to help their lungs develop and were treated for Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC), or underdeveloped intestines. Despite the occasional set back, our girls were growing stronger and stronger each day and had finally begun to gain weight. 56 days later, on July 5th, both girls were discharged from the NICU. We were so scared to bring them home but so thankful for they had survived and thrived. A year and a half later, the girls are doing amazing. Both are still under the care of a doctor, Brynlee is being monitored for a hole in her heart and Brittyn is being monitored for stage 1 brain bleeding, neither of which is considered life threatening. Both girls are developing appropriately, are active and fun loving. It is amazing to see how far they have come. Tyler and I are both so thankful for the work of the March of Dimes. We know that without their life saving research, our girls would not be here today.