For Kurtis and Sonja Kuhn, seeing their “miracle babies,” Luke and Will, running, jumping and playing is a constant reminder of the uncertainty and joy that being a parent can bring – as well as what an important role the Midwest Fetal Care Center played in the months leading up to the birth of their twins. Nearly four years ago, when Sonja was just 20 weeks’ pregnant, doctors discovered her twin boys were in serious danger.
Luke and Will were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which is a rare condition that occurs in about 10-15 percent of identical twins and is defined as when one twin donates blood to the other while in the womb. If left untreated, 90 percent of twins suffering from TTTS won’t survive. Kurtis and Sonja were referred to the Midwest Fetal Care Center, where doctors diagnosed the babies with stage 3 TTTS. At just 24 weeks’ gestation, Luke and Will were operated on in-utero using a laser-ablation procedure to separate and cauterize the enlarged blood vessel.
The twins were born a few weeks later via C-section, with Luke weighing 1 pound, 15 ounces and Will at 1 pound, 4 ounces. Today, Luke and Will are normal, happy, healthy 3-year-old boys who recently started preschool. They love to wear their school backpacks around the house, explore the garage, play with cars and trucks and read books together. To learn more about the Kuhn family, TTTS and the Midwest Fetal Care Center, watch the video below.
Midwest Fetal Care Center – Patient family testimonial from The Mother Baby Center on Vimeo.
The Midwest Fetal Care Center is a collaboration between Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. As the only advanced fetal care center in the upper Midwest, the Midwest Fetal Care Center provides maternal and fetal care when a high-risk pregnancy poses challenges.