Every pregnant woman knows the importance of closely working with her doctor during her entire pregnancy to ensure the safety of her and the baby. Well, Shelby Magnani didn't go through that. Not only was she unaware that she was pregnant, she also had a very rare type of pregnancy.
Shelby, who lived in Ankeny, Iowa, with James Croskey, her fiancé, walked into a clinic complaining about a severe stomach pain on her left side. The diagnosis wasn't something she was expecting, though.
Her doctor ordered an ultrasound that confirmed that she was actually pregnant and around 6 months along. But the biggest news is the fact that she was carrying a set of monoamniotic twins.
This type of pregnancy is very rare, accounting only to 1% of all pregnancies. In this scenario, the twins are sharing the same sac and placenta. This puts the twins in danger as they can develop serious complications and problems, which included choking in each other's umbilical cords.
Monoamniotic twins usually have a 50-50 survival rate, so mothers diagnosed with this pregnancy are already closely monitored as early as in their 24th week.
With Shelby, she didn't have enough time. Thus, within hours after her visit to the ER and confirmation of the pregnancy, she underwent a C-section on Thursday, October 9, to pull the babies out .
The couple later named the girls Ava and Anna, who weighed only 7 pounds all together. Nevertheless, James and Shelby, who are still trying to process everything that has happened, are grateful that the babies are doing very well, although they are still expected to stay in the natal intensive care unit of Mercy Hospital Medical Center found in Des Moines, Iowa, for a couple of weeks.
The very new surprised parents have to focus on how to take care of them once they are out of the hospital. Both are currently enrolled in automotive technology and plan to open their own business as soon as they graduate.
In the meantime, their family created a donation page called Anna and Ava Wellness Fund in Give Forward to pay for the medical bills and buy the babies' needed items.
