In an extremely rare condition, a couple in the US welcomed a set of ‘MoMo‘ twins, also known as Mono Mono or monoamniotic-monochorionic twins, just over a year after they had their first twins. Britney and Frankie Alba from Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the US expanded their family from two to six in just two years.
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Six months after giving birth to her first set of identical twin boys- Levi and Luka, Britney found out that she was pregnant again and was blessed with the extremely rare MoMo twins- Lydia and Lynlee on October 25, 2022, which she delivered by C-section.
‘MoMo’ twins share the same placenta, amniotic sac, and fluid in the womb. Such pregnancies have a high risk of complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth and fetal anomalies. This type of twinning is one of the rarest and occurs in less than 1 percent of all births in the US.
Britney said, “After all that time in the hospital, it didn’t seem real like it was actually going to happen. And then when it actually happened and we were all home, it was surreal.”
Expressing his happiness, the dad Frankie said, “It was definitely a very challenging time in our lives and in our marriage, but it was definitely worth it. We love it, we love the time with our family, and we cherish every moment.”
According to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Britney was admitted to the hospital’s High-Risk Obstetrics (HRO) unit and was there for over 50 days when she was 25 weeks pregnant.
“The team conducted ongoing prenatal care, including fetal monitoring several times a day to ensure the twins remained well. Given the rarity of her pregnancy, Alba was also visited by medical students, residents and fellows,” the hospital said.
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Rachel Sinkey, an assistant professor in the UAB’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said, “MoMo twins share everything except umbilical cords, which can easily become entangled in a single sac. Unfortunately, there is a high rate of stillbirths associated with MoMo twins.”
Since the twins were born during the 32nd week, they received care in the newborn unit of the hospital before they were discharged on December 7, 2022.