CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Having a baby is never easy, let alone two babies at the same time, and twin pregnancies come with risks.

Greenville mother Brooklyn Gerber's life suddenly took a dramatic turn after an ultrasound at 17 weeks in her pregnancy.

What You Need To Know

  • The Gerber family, Greenville residents, found out at 17 weeks that their unborn twins had developed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS)
  • TTTS is a rare condition that affects twins that share only one placenta

  • According to a research study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, TTTS affects only 1 to 3 per 10,000 births nationwide

  • The parents attribute the babies' survival to UNC Health in Chapel Hill, as they underwent a treatment called fetal laser photocoagulation

  • UNC Health is the only place that performs fetal interventions in North Carolina, as well as the surrounding states Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia

The Gerber family found out in June 2024 that she was pregnant with twins. They have two older children as well, Bellamy and Brody. A couple months later, they knew something was off about this pregnancy, as compared to her first two. 

“She had been just feeling more nauseous, more sick, felt like her belly had gotten much bigger," husband Brian Gerber said. "Shortness of breath and those kind of things, we thought maybe this is just due to the twins being in there, double the work having to be done.”

Dealing with complications in this pregnancy is something they never saw coming. What the twins had developed is called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). It's a rare condition that affects twins that share only one placenta and an imbalance in sharing blood occurs. According to a research study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, TTTS affects only 1 to 3 per 10,000 births nationwide

"When you're the one that's receiving that kind of news, it's not something you want to hear, but then it's 'OK, what do we do next, what's our next step?'” Brian Gerber said. 

She underwent a minimal invasive fetal surgery to save her twins, Banks and Bennett. The Gerbers attribute the babies' survival to UNC Health in Chapel Hill. According to their doctor, William Goodnight, the chances of both twins surviving are low.

“That's always a shock when it comes, comes out with that diagnosis, and so I know that that can be scary for patients," Goodnight said.
"Fortunately, they were very good candidates for treatment, and the procedure was very successful.”

He guided them through the options and the Gerber family decided to do a treatment called fetal laser photocoagulation. UNC Health is the only place that performs fetal interventions in North Carolina, as well as the surrounding states Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. 

“Most obstetricians and maternal fetal medicines understand that need for that imaging and that can help identify early stage twin-to-twin transfusion, which can then improve our chance of success for treatment,” Goodnight said.

After a successful procedure and birth, the twins were born at 35 weeks.

"Once they were born, I was relieved, just a huge weight off my shoulders that they were here and healthy," Brooklyn Gerber said.

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