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Vienna Girardi has lost her twins.
The Bachelor alum posted to Facebook on Sunday, letting her followers know that her daughters “went to Heaven on Aug 5th” at 18 weeks after experiencing twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
“On Aug 3rd, I went in for an ultra sound bc the Perinatologist notice one of my twins had more fluids than the other which was the first sign of TTTS(Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome) this is when one twin takes more nutrients than the other,” she wrote. “They said that it did look like it had improved over the last week though.”
“Unfortunately, that was not the case and that evening my water broke due to the amniotic sacs rupturing,” continued Girardi, 31. “I spent the next 2 days in the hospital trying everything to save them.”
“The doctors had warned me that if I did not go into labor and deliver the babies, I was taking the chance of risking my own life and causing an infection in my uterus but they could not survive at only 18 weeks,” she explained.
“They also said that there was a very slim chance under 5% that the babies could survive and the fluids in their amniotic sacs replenish themselves so as any mother would do I did everything to save them but their hearts stopped beating on day two which is also when I went into a septic shock with 104 fever,” Girardi added.
“My little angels went to Heaven on Aug 5th and I was rushed into the OR for emergency surgery and was in the ICU for 4 days.”
Girardi had announced her pregnancy in June, posting an ultrasound photo to Instagram accompanied by the caption, “Twice the Blessing, Twice the Fun.”
Now, she is thanking her followers for their support, asking for them to “respect my privacy and allow me to grieve” — and sharing her hope for how her daughters’ story may help “be able to save another women who has twins with TTTS.”
“I don’t know why this happened and I pray the Lord gives me strength to understand why he needed my little girls,” she continued in her Facebook post. “After days of laying in bed heart broken and trying to piece what happened back together a doctor asked me if I would consider donating my little girls to science so they can also understand why this happens and be able to save another women who has twins with TTTS.”
“This was the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life but I knew my little girls were in Heaven already and the pain I feel I would never want any mother to ever feel,” Girardi added. “RIP My Sweet Angels
💕 Your mommy will never forget you and I loved you both with my entire heart.”
Girardi’s rep Richard Harlow gave more details on the tragic events, revealing that she had celebrated a gender reveal party just four days before she was admitted to the hospital and that she “almost died.”
“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart to announce my dear friend and client Vienna Girardi suffered a miscarriage two weeks ago,” Harlow said in a statement to PEOPLE. “After celebrating a joyful gender reveal for twin girls on July 30th with friends and family, she was admitted to the hospital on August 3rd. Her water broke due to a rupture of the amniotic sacs.
“On the second day in the hospital, she went into septic shock with a fever of 104 degrees,” he continued. “She was rushed into the OR and spent four days in the ICU. She almost died.
“The doctors did everything they could to save the babies and said there was a five percent chance they would survive,” Harlow said. “Her little twin’s hearts stopped beating and joined the angels in heaven on August 5th. Vienna has a long and arduous journey to recovery, yet she is strong and knows her children are at rest in heaven.
“Her heart is heavy. Having cried with her, I can honestly say this is one of the worst things I’ve experienced with my close friend and client of 7 years. It’s a devastating experience. She wants everyone to know how much she loved her little babies.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE
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