Ridgeville ‘mono mono’ twins: a miracle birth
RIDGEVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A Randolph County couple is now opening up about navigating a high-risk pregnancy. The mother went on a journey that doctors say happens in 1% of twin pregnancies.
Brittnay Woodbury and her family live in Ridgeville. Doctors told her she had a 50% chance of losing one or both babies. Despite the odds against her, she says it’s worth it if she had to do it over again.
Their journey began with her firstborn son Sylas begging his parents to become a big brother.
“He started asking questions. When do I get a brother? When do I get a sibling? We were content with just having one and being done,” Woodbury said.
Woodbury and her husband Zach decided to grow their family. At just seven weeks pregnant, she learned not only was she pregnant again, but she was carrying identical twin girls.
“She said don’t freak out, but I think I see two heartbeats,” Woodbury said. After a follow-up appointment, the ultrasound showed the twins had one placenta, a rare condition called “monochorionic-monoamniotic” twins, or “mono mono” twins for short.
“It was one of those things where you see other people go through those situations, and you don’t think you will ever hear that news. It’s something you can’t control,” Woodbury said.
She says doctors at IU Health told her the babies would have a 50% survival rate and she could experience many potential complications. Halfway through her second trimester, she unexpectedly started bleeding.
“When I stood up, I felt this gush. I went to the bathroom, and there was so much blood. I said okay, something is wrong,” Woodbury said.
She was rushed to the ER where doctors told her the bleeding was caused by placenta previa and placed her on bed rest.
“As a mom, it killed me to know that I could lose them at any point but I had to have faith there was a purpose,” Woodbury said. After 32 weeks, the earliest nurses and doctors felt comfortable delivering the twins.
Woodbury had Tess and Blair through a Cesarean-section in July 2021 and stayed in the NICU for 39 days until they were finally released to go home and meet their new big brother.
“He’s a good big brother and takes care of them”, Zach Woodbury, Brittany’s husband, and the twin’s father, said. Brittany Woodbury added, “The way they look at him just makes everything worth it.”
The “mono mono” miracle twins Tess and Blair will be two years old this summer. Doctors say they are healthy and they will only need routine checkups.