Megan Phipps, 24, was ʙᴏʀɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴅɪᴅᴇʟᴘʜʏs, or ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs, a rare condition where a woman has ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇʀᴠɪxᴇs and ᴛᴡᴏ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜsᴇs. Megan has two older children whom she said she carried in her ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs.
Megan told: “I’ve always carried in my ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs. They always thought my left side wasn’t active. Nobody believed me that I knew something was wrong.” Megan went to her regular O.B.G.Y.N, who referred her to a specialist. In this rare case, she was told she was actually ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ on both her right and left sides. In June, Megan said she was in ‘ᴇxᴄʀᴜᴄɪᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴘᴀɪɴ’ and was admitted to Bʀʏᴀɴ Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Lɪɴᴄᴏʟɴ, Nᴇʙʀᴀsᴋᴀ, after she noticed sᴘᴏᴛᴛɪɴɢ. Her ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx was slowly shortening, creating a ʀɪsᴋ of ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇʀᴍ ʟᴀʙᴏʀ, according to her ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs. Megan said a nurse later realized she was actually in the process of ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ʙɪʀᴛʜ. At 22 weeks, merely in her sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴛʀɪᴍᴇsᴛᴇʀ, she was rushed to the ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ area where a ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴏʟᴏɢɪsᴛ explained the ʀɪsᴋs.
He had said that the girls would have a 1% chance. Dr. Mark Brisso, a ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴏʟᴏɢɪsᴛ who helped treat Megan’ babies at Bʀʏᴀɴ Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ’s ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ care unit, said the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ tries to follow the parent’s wishes to ʀᴇsᴜsᴄɪᴛᴀᴛᴇ such ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪɴꜰᴀɴᴛs as long as they understand the potential ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs associated with severe ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀɪᴛʏ. The ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ care unit at Bʀʏᴀɴ’s Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ is a level-three facility, offering specialized critical care for ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs. Because of the special circumstances of mom’s ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ their chances of sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ were less. Many ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs could arise due to their extreme ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀɪᴛʏ and ʟᴏᴡ ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ. According to ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴏʟᴏɢʏ sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛs, decisions regarding ʀᴇsᴜsᴄɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ of extremely ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪɴꜰᴀɴᴛs born between 22-24 weeks ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ require individual considerations and are made according to parents’ wishes and ɪɴꜰᴀɴᴛ’s ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄᴀʟ condition at birth.
Megan Phipps and her boyfriend, Dillon, learned they were ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ with ᴛᴡɪɴs. She had two children previously, so they didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary before her due date in October. But soon Megan was ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ with ᴜᴛᴇʀɪɴᴇ ᴅɪᴅᴇʟᴘʜʏs, a rare condition in which she grew to ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜsᴇs. One baby was ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ in each ᴜᴛᴇʀᴜs. Bʀʏᴀɴ Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ says Reece ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ at 22.5 weeks ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, at over three months ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ. She weighed about one pound. Sadly, her ᴛᴡɪɴ sister, Riley, ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ the day before and ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ away about 12 days later. Bʀʏᴀɴ Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ says Reece received almost a dozen ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀɴsꜰᴜsɪᴏɴs and was on a ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ for 45 days.
According to the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ: “Often, infants born so ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇly deal with serious ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ issues involving the ʙʀᴀɪɴ and ʟᴜɴɢs. However, Reese ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴇssᴇᴅ sʟᴏᴡʟʏ and had no major ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs. Reece was sent home on Nov. 2 at eight pounds, five ounces after 144 days in the N.I.C.U. For most of her time there, the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ said there was an ornament of a baby in angel wings holding her sister’s ᴀsʜᴇs ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ her crib. Riley was caring for Reece from above during her time in the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ.”
According to Bʀʏᴀɴ Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ, Reece is the 26th baby ᴡᴏʀʟᴅᴡɪᴅᴇ in the Tiniest Babies Registry to be born before 23 weeks’ ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ and sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ.
