Jesy Nelson undergoing procedure to give her twins ‘best chance of surviving’
The singer announced her pregnancy in January.
Former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson has said she is undergoing a procedure that will give her twins “the best chance of surviving” after learning of complications around her high-risk pregnancy.
The singer, 33, from Romford, who previously revealed she had “pre-stage” twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS), which affects identical twins who share a placenta, said her symptoms, such as shortness of breath, have become “worse”.
In an Instagram video, she said: “I’ve been feeling a bit poorly, like the past few days, been having a few of the symptoms that I need to watch out for, 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.
“And unfortunately the symptoms have got worse, so they have to perform the procedure, which is obviously not what we wanted to happen, but it’s necessary because it’s going to give our babies the best chance of surviving.
“We’re just waiting to go in and we’re just hoping and praying for the best really.”
She added: “I feel gutted. I feel absolutely gutted because I really was hoping that we wouldn’t even be in this position.
“That’s why they do this procedure, so that it literally gives you the best chance of your baby surviving, but it’s obviously just really scary, because there’s so many things that can happen.”
Nelson did not elaborate on what the procedure involves.
She previously said her twins were monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA), meaning they share a single placenta but have their own separate sacs.
TTTS affects 10 to 15% of identical twins who share a placenta, and it “can have serious consequences”, according to the NHS website.
The condition is caused by abnormal connecting blood vessels in the twins’ placenta which leads to an imbalanced blood flow from one twin, known as the donor, to the recipient twin, leaving one baby with a greater blood volume than the other.
Charity The Twins Trust says laser therapy is a possible form of treatment and works by separating the connections in the placenta.
The imbalance can return, however, so the condition needs to be closely monitored until birth.
The singer announced her pregnancy in January by posting a photo of her with fellow musician Zion Foster, who had one hand placed over her baby bump.
On March 5, she revealed in an Instagram video that she had TTTS and was “being monitored very closely”.
Nelson left Little Mix in December 2020 after nine years in the successful girl group.
She received praise for the 2019 BBC documentary Odd One Out, in which she revealed that abuse on social media became so bad that she attempted suicide.
The group, who formed on The X Factor in 2011, comprised Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Nelson.
After she left, Nelson released her first solo single, Boyz, featuring Nicki Minaj, in 2021, followed by Bad Thing in 2023.
