Ohio Woman Gives Birth to Rare Set of Monoamniotic Twins

Sarah Thistlewhistle celebrated an early Mother's Day when her twin daughters were born Friday in Ohio. But what makes her two new daughters--Jenna and Jillian--extra special is that they are also a rare set of monoamniotic or "mono mono" identical twins. In other words, this means that the two shared an amniotic sack and were in constant contact throughout her pregnancy.

When she learned of the condition, she soon discovered that she would need to be on bed rest for weeks at Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, where the twins could be constantly monitored and not entangled in each others cords, according to ABC News.

"They hook you up to heart rate monitors to watch for heart deceleration or variables," Thistlewhistle said, via the news organization. "That's what they look for the whole time. I got ultrasounds every other week."

With the added risks, came the decision of whether or not the babies should be born early or risk entanglement.

"Sarah was given the option to deliver between 32 and 34 weeks gestation. This type of twin is at high risk for stillbirth because of cord entanglement," said Melissa Mancuso, a perinatologist at the Akron Children's Hospital. "We were just having a discussion about how difficult a decision it is to make, weighing the risk of prematurity vs. the risks of entanglement."

The girls were born at 33 weeks via C-section, and are in good condition. However, they have experienced minor breathing problems and are currently at the neonatal unit of the hospital.