Wheeler ‘MoMo’ Twins

John and Casey Wheeler found out that they were expecting Monoamniotic-Monochorionic (MoMo) twins. This type of twin pregnancy is very rare. (less than 1% of all twin pregnancies.) What this means is that the babies are sharing a placenta and an amniotic sac. Because they are in the same sac, they are twisting their umbilical cords as they move around. As the babies grow larger throughout the pregnancy, the cords become more entangled and can begin to tighten, possibly cutting off nutrients to the babies. When Casey reached 26 weeks gestation, she began an inpatient hospital stay at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines  where the babies were monitored three times per day to ensure their safety and well being. Meanwhile, John and Jensen continued their daily lives in Manilla, IA away from Casey.  They visited her on the weekends which was over 2 hours away. 

In addition to the high risks of a MoMo pregnancy, John and Casey were also told by their specialist that Baby A has a curvature in her spine. After many tests and ultrasounds, Baby A has been diagnosed with hemivertebrae scoliosis and will need to undergo many surgeries to correct this. 

At this time, the family has moved to Des Moines to be closer to Everleigh’s doctors as she is on a vent due to one of her lungs being underdeveloped because of the severity of her scoliosis. The family is able to stay in the comfort of their own home now and have nursing staff assist them during the day and night. 

Prayer is the number one need for this family but financial gifts are appreciated.