Mono does mean one and di means 2. With mono-di twins it's 1 placenta with 2 sacs. I'm an L&D nurse(also work in the special care nursery if they're short staffed) and we ALWAYS evaluate the placenta after birth. We're mainly looking for number of arteries, and other abnormalities. Keep in mind most deliveries are singletons, so unless there is a reason they don't get their placentas and umbilical cords evaluated that closely till after birth. The placenta can tell us if there are potential problems with the infant(s) to watch/test for. It's an amazing organ! It can be difficult to evaluate the placenta in ultrasound during many pregnancies, even the babies. I had 3 ultrasounds with our youngest because my belly stopped growing and they measured him at over 8 lbs. He was born weighing 5 lbs 14 oz. DH and I take everything with a grain of salt now. It really depends on how the baby(ies) is positioned, position of the placenta(s), the mothers anatomy, etc. I have a tilted uterus, which is now held in place my adhesions from endometriosis, so it doesn't tend to resolve during pregnancy. This can make it a bit more difficult to get a good assessment and measurements of the baby(ies) as they get larger. The skill of the tech makes a huge impact as well. We go to a private sonographer because we know she's much better than most. She sends the results to my OB. All babies get a Ballard Assessment(after the Apgar), which tells us what their gestational age truly is, physical maturity, neuromuscular maturity, etc. Dates can be +/- a couple weeks. This lets us know if they are truly low birthweight, etc. which then tells us what other(if any) evaluation/monitoring they need. Multiples generally get a more thorough assessment, but not always.
It's an exciting time and so much different than singleton pregnancies. I almost feel like I'm pregnant for the first time again.
It's an exciting time and so much different than singleton pregnancies. I almost feel like I'm pregnant for the first time again.
