Help our rarest of twins be born!
Donation protected
On November 13th, 2015 we found out that we were expecting twins. This began our long journey of discovering that our identical twin boys are the rarest of the rare, a set of Monoamniotic-Monochorionic (MoMo) twins.
These twins occur only one in every sixty thousand pregnancies. That means there are less than 70 of them born every year in America. These are truly the rarest of the rare, and they need very specialized care to survive.
A very unique pregnancy
MoMo twins share an amniotic sac. Because of this, they can easily tangle one another in their umbilical cords. As they grow, this can cause the cords to become compressed, resulting in cord compression and death.
Our doctors told us that only 50% of MoMo twins make it to 24 weeks gestation. We are now at 32 weeks.
Once they do reach 24 weeks (viability), doctors recommend regular monitoring, culminating in a long stay in the hospital. This stay involves daily (and often constant) monitoring. Debbie was admitted March 18th, where she'll be until the babies are born.
Momos are ALWAYS premature
Because of the risks, MoMo twins are always born prematurely. Some come very early; others make it to 34 weeks gestation, but almost all are born before 35 weeks.
Being born prematurely comes with its own special challenges, including starting life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This specialized unit cares for the smallest and weakest babies.
Our babies will spend time in the NICU, and possibly several weeks. NICU stays are emotionally and financially draining to parents, even those who expect and plan for it. Each baby is a separate admission, triggering separate insurance claims, separate deductibles and copays, and separate costs. The March of Dimes estimates that the average cost of a full term baby is $4,389, but the cost of a premature infant is $54,194. Our bills will be thousands.
Debbie is spending six weeks hospitalized.
Debbie has had to stop working much sooner than we expected. Despite having prepared for her hospital stay and getting approval to work remotely, her company experienced a slowdown in their available work and so Debbie is having to start disability several weeks early, before the children have even been born. This puts a dramatic crimp in our plan, as we expected her to continue working for several more weeks, right up to the time the babies were born, not 6 weeks early. And it puts a tremendous strain on our finances.
Debbie is in the antepartum wing of the hospital, and she's stretching her accrued PTO for as long as possible, but when it runs out, she will have to go on short term disabilty and then unpaid time off work. Her employer doesn't have a maternity leave policy, so the short term disability is her only maternity leave, and she's having to take it before the twins are even born.
To make matters worse, her job is only protected for 12 weeks, and the clock will start ticking before the babies are even born--that's soon to start ticking away.
And because in the United States, paid family leave is unavailable, the unpaid nature of this time is financially devastating.
Having to start disability early means Debbie will either have to go back to work before she is ready to, or take more time off unpaid. Premature babies need special care, and they will not be ready for childcare when the 12 weeks runs out. And to make matters worse, our childcare plans require the boys to be 3 months old before care can begin, which is after the 12 weeks will run out. We planned financially for time off when the babies were born, but we do not have enough to weather several more unexpected weeks unpaid.
How you can help
Many people have told us, "let me know if there's anything I can do."
More than diapers, toys and clothes, we want to be able to focus on our newborns, rather than our bills. While we prepared for having a child by saving, the extra costs of twins are amazing and staggering. Debbie has had anxiety from worrying about the costs, when she should be focused on having healthy babies.
We're not people who take asking for help lightly, or who are looking for just another handout. We're hard-working people who are just in a tough spot and need a little help.
We're asking for help so that we can cover the fact that Debbie's having to go on unpaid leave far sooner than expected. If we receive more than we need, we will donate the excess to the March of Dimes, which is committed to preventing premature birth in infants and increasing outcomes for those who are born prematurely.
We are so grateful for the prayers and faithful support of our friends, family and church community in this very challenging pregnancy.
Your gift will enable us to worry about our newborns, rather than our bills. Will you help?
These twins occur only one in every sixty thousand pregnancies. That means there are less than 70 of them born every year in America. These are truly the rarest of the rare, and they need very specialized care to survive.
A very unique pregnancy
MoMo twins share an amniotic sac. Because of this, they can easily tangle one another in their umbilical cords. As they grow, this can cause the cords to become compressed, resulting in cord compression and death.
Our doctors told us that only 50% of MoMo twins make it to 24 weeks gestation. We are now at 32 weeks.
Once they do reach 24 weeks (viability), doctors recommend regular monitoring, culminating in a long stay in the hospital. This stay involves daily (and often constant) monitoring. Debbie was admitted March 18th, where she'll be until the babies are born.
Momos are ALWAYS premature
Because of the risks, MoMo twins are always born prematurely. Some come very early; others make it to 34 weeks gestation, but almost all are born before 35 weeks.
Being born prematurely comes with its own special challenges, including starting life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This specialized unit cares for the smallest and weakest babies.
Our babies will spend time in the NICU, and possibly several weeks. NICU stays are emotionally and financially draining to parents, even those who expect and plan for it. Each baby is a separate admission, triggering separate insurance claims, separate deductibles and copays, and separate costs. The March of Dimes estimates that the average cost of a full term baby is $4,389, but the cost of a premature infant is $54,194. Our bills will be thousands.
Debbie is spending six weeks hospitalized.
Debbie has had to stop working much sooner than we expected. Despite having prepared for her hospital stay and getting approval to work remotely, her company experienced a slowdown in their available work and so Debbie is having to start disability several weeks early, before the children have even been born. This puts a dramatic crimp in our plan, as we expected her to continue working for several more weeks, right up to the time the babies were born, not 6 weeks early. And it puts a tremendous strain on our finances.
Debbie is in the antepartum wing of the hospital, and she's stretching her accrued PTO for as long as possible, but when it runs out, she will have to go on short term disabilty and then unpaid time off work. Her employer doesn't have a maternity leave policy, so the short term disability is her only maternity leave, and she's having to take it before the twins are even born.
To make matters worse, her job is only protected for 12 weeks, and the clock will start ticking before the babies are even born--that's soon to start ticking away.
And because in the United States, paid family leave is unavailable, the unpaid nature of this time is financially devastating.
Having to start disability early means Debbie will either have to go back to work before she is ready to, or take more time off unpaid. Premature babies need special care, and they will not be ready for childcare when the 12 weeks runs out. And to make matters worse, our childcare plans require the boys to be 3 months old before care can begin, which is after the 12 weeks will run out. We planned financially for time off when the babies were born, but we do not have enough to weather several more unexpected weeks unpaid.
How you can help
Many people have told us, "let me know if there's anything I can do."
More than diapers, toys and clothes, we want to be able to focus on our newborns, rather than our bills. While we prepared for having a child by saving, the extra costs of twins are amazing and staggering. Debbie has had anxiety from worrying about the costs, when she should be focused on having healthy babies.
We're not people who take asking for help lightly, or who are looking for just another handout. We're hard-working people who are just in a tough spot and need a little help.
We're asking for help so that we can cover the fact that Debbie's having to go on unpaid leave far sooner than expected. If we receive more than we need, we will donate the excess to the March of Dimes, which is committed to preventing premature birth in infants and increasing outcomes for those who are born prematurely.
We are so grateful for the prayers and faithful support of our friends, family and church community in this very challenging pregnancy.
Your gift will enable us to worry about our newborns, rather than our bills. Will you help?
Organizer
Brandon Savage
Organizer
Olney, MD