"I was already a mother of three when I lay back for my 10-week ultrasound in 2019. At first, seeing the gel on my stomach and the flickering black and white image on screen was familiar and soothing. Then I saw the look on the sonographer's face. She dropped the probe and ran out of the room without a word."
"I called my husband, Anatoliy, sobbing. He promised to come home straight away. I began driving. I was a mess, swinging from feeling certain I'd need a termination, to denying this was happening at all. I felt as if I was going mad. Then, as I sat at a red light, I suddenly felt this sense of calm wash over me."
"I gripped Anatoliy's hand as we heard that their chance of survival to delivery was slim. I thought about the babies I had seen on the screen and refused to give up hope. More than 200 medics prepared for my delivery. One twin would be looked after by team orange', the other by team purple' Despite constant medical appointments, I tried to live a normal life."
A woman, already a mother of three, learned at a 10-week ultrasound in 2019 that she was carrying craniopagus twins, a condition occurring in about one in every 2.5 million live births. The sonographer's alarm and a doctor's stunned reaction triggered panic, confusion, and later understanding after she looked up the term. Her husband rushed home and pledged love and support; she decided to take each day as it came. Specialists warned that the twins' chance of survival to delivery was slim and assembled more than 200 medical staff, assigning separate care teams. Despite frequent appointments and fear, she tried to maintain normal social routines and cling to hope.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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