Jesy Nelson has provided an update on the wellbeing of her unborn twins, days after revealing the pair had been diagnosed with TTTS.
The former Little Mix singer has now revealed she will be forced to undergo emergency surgery in a bid to save the lives of her babies.
Taking to Instagram on Thursday (6 March), the 33-year-old broke the heartbreaking news of her pregnancy woes, just weeks after first revealing she and boyfriend Zion Williams are expecting.
Jesy's health woes
In a video, Jesy explained: "We wanted to let you in on our journey of what we've been going through. So, we are having identical twins which is so exciting - we cannot believe it.
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"But, unfortunately, there are complications that come with having identical twins."
She then went on to explain that her babies are 'mono/di' twins, adding that, in most cases, twins will have two placentas that they feed off of. In her case, however, the pair are feeding off the same one.
"But when you have mono/di twins, that means your twins live off one placenta which can lead to lots of complications - one of them being one baby might take all the nutrients which, and it's really awful to say, but could lead to both babies dying," Jesy continued.
The ex-X Factor star - who left Little Mix in 2020 before going solo - went on to reveal that she was currently 'pre-stage TTTS'.
What is TTTS?
This refers to twin-to-twin transfusion, a rare pregnancy condition that - as Jesy explained - sees twins sharing one placenta, as well as a network of blood vessels that supply both oxygen and nutrients.
According to Hopkins Medicine, the ailment is also known as monochorionic.
In these cases, if the vessel connections within the placenta are not evenly dispersed, an imbalance of blood exchange between the babies might see one receiving more than the other.
This could, sadly, result in malnourishment in one baby - and potentially even organ failure.
And in the other baby, an overload could leave them susceptible to an overwork of the heart, or other cardiac complications.
The star's emergency surgery
In a devastating new social media update, Jesy has since revealed that, after feeling 'a bit poorly' for the last few days, she has made the decision to undergo emergency surgery.
"Been having a few of the symptoms that I need to watch out for," she explained. "Which is like my belly tightening, struggle breathing.
"So today we came into the hospital to just have a check-up basically, just in case."
After explaining to hospital staff that her symptoms have slowly worsened, she was told the procedure was in the best interest of her babies - to give them 'the best chance of surviving'.
She and Zion revealed that, though the surgery 'is obviously not what we wanted to happen', they're currently 'waiting to go in', and 'hoping and praying for the best'.
Joining in, her other-half explained: "They're doing it to give us the best chance. Our babies the best chance."
Topics: Jesy Nelson, Little Mix, Celebrity, Music, Health, Pregnancy
Rhianna Benson