Picture this: you’re at the grocery store, and you drop a carton of eggs. One cracks, but the other six are fine. You’re a little bummed, but you keep moving.
That’s kind of the feeling. The mom might have a little spotting or cramping, but often, there are zero symptoms. She only finds out at her next ultrasound, when the doctor points and says, “Well, there used to be two.”
It’s a strange cocktail of grief for a baby that was never really “there” as a person, and gratitude for the one that is still kicking. Most parents just quietly file it away as a weird, private memory.
Why should you, a regular person, care about this?
Because it’s a secret club that millions of people are in, and they almost never talk about it. Think of all the friends, cousins, or coworkers you have who were born as a “single” baby—but maybe weren’t always alone.
Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS): Stages & Diagnosis
Have you ever met someone who just seems like they’re extra? Like they have twice the energy, or a strange sense of completeness? That might be a surviving twin.
It’s a fun little conspiracy theory. I’m not saying it’s true, but wouldn’t it be delightful if that loud friend who always has a story was actually channeling a quiet little ghost twin?
