Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome - Interview with Julie Audette

In this honest and raw episode, Zoe speaks to Julie Audette, a business owner and mother. Julie opens up about her experience with Twin-Twin Transfusion syndrome which her beautiful boys Elias And Zach were born with. Listen in to hear a story of sadness, faith and incredible strength.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Julie got married to her husband in 2013 and Julie became pregnant in 2014. At her first scan she got a ‘double congratulations’ from the Dr and found out she was pregnant with two boys. The beginning of the pregnancy was normal and Julie was carrying on with life normally. Julie was given extra monitoring because it was a twin pregnancy with a shared placenta but she didn’t feel any different. At week 21 Julie found she started to feel differently, she was in a lot of pain and was suffering with severe swelling. Julie went to see her obstetrician, had a scan and was referred to a specialist that day. They discovered that her twin boys had twin-twin transfusion syndrome and they would need an operation. Julie had already decided that she was going to give birth in Canada where she is from, so she reached out to the specialists after the diagnosis to see who could do the procedure needed for her twin boys. She was advised to fly to Canada as soon as possible. On the flight, Julie started deteriorating and was rushed straight to hospital on arrival to be stabilised. After a procedure to reduce her amniotic fluid she was able to leave the hospital but unfortunately had to go back in after deteriorating again. It was only week 23 but the decision was made to have an emergency C-section to deliver the twins, for their safety as well as Julie’s life. The boys were delivered by C-section but they went straight to NICU, 20 minutes later Julie was sadly informed that Elias had died and Zach was fighting hard for his life. Julie and her husband’s faith helped them deal with this devastating life event. It helped give them the strength to support Zach, who had to have a 5 month stay in hospital due to being born so premature and a heart condition. At 5 months, they had to make the difficult system to remove him from respiratory support and he sadly died a short time after. Julie and her husband have been supported a lot by their friends and family, it’s this as well as their faith, therapy and their attitude towards life that has helped them ‘come out the other side’.  Since this incredibly difficult and tragic time, they have had another child, their daughter, who they are so thankful for. BEST MOMENTS “It was just a beautiful announcement and we were double happy” “You see other people fighting…you have to accept and say this is your journey, this is life and this is what god intended for us” “We’re a family full on sunshine”  “We would not be able to heal without our family and friends”   VALUABLE RESOURCES https://www.rmhc.org Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) Parents - Peer support for families who have gone through, are going through or seeking more information about Twin to Twin Transfusion: https://www.facebook.com/Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion-Syndrome-TTTS-Parents-Arabia-1699149873687130   ABOUT THE GUESTJulie Audette @[email protected]@[email protected]://www.rmhc.org Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) Parents - Peer support for families who have gone through, are going through or seeking more information about Twin to Twin Transfusion: https://www.facebook.com/Twin-to-Twin-Transfusion-Syndrome-TTTS-Parents-Arabia-1699149873687130   ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell