Moray mum was told twins ‘may not survive’ condition also suffered by former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson’s unborn babies
A mum who was told during that her twin daughters “may not survive” has spoken out on her “terrifying” pregnancy.
Sally Kynoch, from Elgin, said it was a "miracle" her daughters, Kelsea and Willow, both one, survived after being diagnosed with stage 4 twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) - the last stage before the babies are likely to die.
The rare and life-threatening pregnancy condition occurs when identical twins - who are sharing a placenta - are not getting an even distribution of blood and oxygen.
It can leave one twin undernourished and facing organ failure while the other twin receives too much blood and is susceptible to cardiac failure.
Sally, who is 29, was told at 25 weeks along that her twins may not survive - before she underwent a procedure to split their blood supply more evenly.
Despite having just a 45 percent chance of both surviving, Kelsea and Willow arrived on February 12, 2024, at 32 weeks, at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, each weighing 3lbs.
Former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson’s unborn twins are suffering from the same disease. Nelson took to Instagram to speak out about TTTS, after her twins were diagnosed with the condition.
The singer explained one of her babies "may not survive" and undergoing an emergency procedure is their "best chance for survival”.
Sally's twins are now home and thriving and she has praised Jesy's ' "honest" video - hoping it will help others and raise awareness around the condition.
The mum-of-two said: "When I saw the video, my heart went out to her. It brought up a lot of feelings and fear from when I went through it.
"It's just a waiting game, and all you can do is hope and pray. This is the first celebrity I've seen talking about TTTS.
"It's good that it's opening up the conversation and so important to make people more aware of it. I had never heard of it until I went through it and hopefully this will help more people."
During a routine scan at 25 weeks, doctors noticed that one twin, Kelsea, had more fluid around her, and as "noticeably larger" that her sister, Willow.
They were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
Sally said: "This condition occurs in identical twins, as they share a placenta.
"Doctors didn't know it was having identical twins until 25 weeks and at that point, the TTTS was stage four. It's the most deadly.
"It so terrifying and we were going through all the emotions. Without any treatment there was only a 10 per cent chance of both twins surviving.
"After laser ablation there was a 75 per cent chance of one twin surviving, 45 per cent of both surviving - thankfully, the laser ablation was successful.
"The doctor that did the surgery in Glasgow was the only doctor skilled to do it in the whole of Scotland - we were really lucky.
"We were there in the nick of time - she decided to do the surgery on the same day that she had seen us because she just feared that waiting any longer was just going to be too late for them."
Sally said following the procedure was a waiting game and she was closely monitored to see how the babies were growing.
The girls arrived at 32 weeks and despite spending a month in the neonatal ward, they were doing well and able to go home.
Sally twins are now 13 months old and thriving.
In the emotional video posted on her Instagram, Jesy Nelson and partner, Zion Foster, reveal she went to hospital following tightness in her stomach.
She had previously revealed her twins had TTTS, and that one or both of them could be at risk of dying as a result.
In the new video, she said symptoms are now worse and that she needs to undergo an undisclosed procedure.
The singer said she had "no clue" this sort of thing can happen with twins, and feels it's important to "raise awareness" for others.
Sally said: "A lot of other stories that I had read at the time were not successful so it did not give me much hope at all.
"If I can give families some positivity that is great.
"I think it's so important that Jesy Nelson has spoken out - hopefully it will help make more people aware of this condition."
