Monoamniotic twins. Many have never heard of the term. Neither did Richard Briskin, until his daughter, Tiffany, found out she was pregnant with them. She just gave birth, Tuesday. Briskin expressed, “Very scary, very exciting, they're healthy, they have some problems, but we're all very excited.”
Their names are Bella and Elisa. Because they are Monoamniotic twins, also known as “Momo twins,” they are identical, almost clones of each other. They even have the same fingerprints. Dr. Paul Ostoya conducted the c-section. He says about 30% of Momo twins do not survive. He explained, “They share one space inside the uterus. They are not separated by any membrane. That's why they're called Monoamniotic. The baby's cords are usually tangled. This is why one of them or both of them will die prematurely in the womb.”
Monoamniotic twins are rare. They occur in about 1 in 35,000 to 1 in 60,000 pregnancies. About half will develop abnormalities. Briskin's daughter's pregnancy was successful.
“She braved through and we delivered her today. We have two babies. One at 3 pounds 13 ounces and the other, 4 pounds,” said Ostoya.
Bella and Elisa have been transported to Children's Hospital Central California. They will need close medical care for the next coming weeks. It’s a long wait for a family who cannot wait to take them home.
“I've read stories where they can make a gesture or single letter or utterance and the other understands it and at distance one may feel what the other one feels, so it's really kind of an exciting thing to happen,” said Briskin.
Bella and Elisa's family has been told medical bills could reach up to $500,000. If you'd like to help the family financially, you can contact their grandfather, Richard at (559) 360-4609. His email address is rtbinvent@aol.com. The family is also asking for donations such as diapers and baby food.
TXT 24
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