Heartbreaking loss inspires couple to speak out

After everything went fine with her first pregnancy, there was no reason to expect anything different the next.

GROWING FAMILY: Mark, Noah and Chay Slattery are excited to welcome their fourth family member, despite the long and tough journey dealing with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Picture: Lacee Froeschl

AFTER everything went fine with her first pregnancy, Chay Slattery had no reason to expect anything different with the next.

On the eve of their October wedding, Ms Slattery and her fiance Mark found out they were pregnant again.

To their surprise, routine scans revealed there were two babies - identical twin girls.

"We were shocked because we were thinking about those things that come with two babies, like a new car," Ms Slattery said.

Little did she know her next routine scan on Christmas Eve would turn grim.

The doctors told her "you need to call your husband, you're not going back to work today".

"We drove to Brisbane and the doctors said we had what they believed was TTTS."

Twin to twin transfusion syndrome is a condition that can occur in identical twin pregnancies where the donor twin transfuses too much blood, becoming dehydrated and causing the other to have high blood pressure.

The couple's doctor presented them five treatment options, which all involved a different rate of survival for the babies.

Within a week the pair had to make the tough decision, and they chose the treatment that gave both babies a fighting chance.

"I thought how are we supposed to make this decision with no option of having a 100 per cent success rate," Ms Slattery said.

Mark, Noah and Chay Slattery are excited to welcome their fourth family member, despite the long and tough journey dealing with Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Picture: Lacee Froeschl

Unfortunately, baby girl number two didn't make it through the treatment.

Ms Slattery said one of the hardest moments of the past eight months was watching the baby kick one minute and not the next.

Twenty-three scans in 33 weeks later, their little boy Noah is just a few weeks away from being a big brother, and the couple have finally built the confidence to speak up about the condition.

They have created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the Sunshine Coast University Hospital's new maternal and foetal ward and provide more education opportunities to other expectant mums and medical professionals.

"There's not many doctors that are well versed in the condition or able to do the procedures," Ms Slattery said.

"We wish we could have been more prepared," Mark said. "Education about this is lacking, so that's our aim."

To donate and help raise awareness of TTTS, visit gofundme.com/help-raise-awareness-of-ttts-and-our-family.

Originally published as Heartbreaking loss inspires couple to speak out