Former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson revealed in January 2025 that she is expecting twins with on again off again boyfriend, musician Zion Foster. However, this week the 33-year-old singer shared an emotional video that gave fans an update regarding the health of her babies.
While seated next to 26-year-old Zion, Jesy began the video saying, ‘As some of you may know, we are having twins which is so exciting for us, and we just wanted to let you in on a bit of our journey of what we’ve been going through. So, we are having identical twins, which is so exciting… but unfortunately, there are complications that come with having identical twins.’
The soon-to-be-mum continued, ‘The type of twins we are having are called mono/di twins and so normally most twins will have two placentas that they feed off of, 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, it's really awful to say, but could lead to both babies dying.’
‘At the moment, I am currently pre-stage TTTS which is twin-to-twin transfusion, and I am being monitored very closely, I have to go and be scanned twice a week. The current situation that we’re in at the moment is that every time I've gone it has got a little bit worse, but we are just hoping and praying for the best.’
‘We feel really blessed that we’ve been given twins but it’s just really sad that unfortunately it does come with its complications that we had no idea about.’
Fans have flooded the singer’s post with supportive messages, with many writing about their own experiences with having mono/di twins and others sharing their well wishes to the expectant parents.
What are mono/di twins?
The term mono/di twins stands for Monochorionic/diamniotic twins. According to Healthline, 'It occurs when two identical babies develop with the same placenta but in separate amniotic sacs. Mono/di twins occurs in roughly one in every three twin pregnancies.
'The vast majority of mono/di twins are delivered without serious complications, although mono/di twins do tend to be born prematurely.'
What is Twin-to-Twin transfusion (TTTS)?
According to hopkinsmedicine.org, TTTS occurs in pregnancies where twins share one placenta and a network of blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients essential for development in the womb. It occurs when ‘the vessel connections within the placenta are not evenly dispensed and there is an imbalance in the blood exchange between the twins. One twin —the donor twin— gives away more blood than it receives in return and runs the risk of malnourishment and organ failure. The recipient twin receives too much blood and is susceptible to overwork of the heart and other cardiac complications.’
Jesy revealed the news of her pregnancy via Instagram in January. She posted a picture of her, boyfriend Zion, and her growing bump, captioned, 'She's eating for three now.' The announcement came after she had reunited with Zion following a year-long split in November 2023.
Sarah O'Byrne is a writer for Grazia, heat, Closer, Yours, Bella and Crime Monthly. She primarily focuses on celebrity and entertainment news.