Conjoined Canadian twins doing well

Oct 26 2006

Canadian conjoined twins born in a complicated c-section procedure are apparently doing well.

The twin girls who are joined at the head, are already breathing on their own and weigh a total of 12 pounds, 11 ounces, evenly distributed between the two of them.

A hospital spokesman has said the babies came out wiggling and were vigorous and vocal, all good signs.

Young mum Felicia Simms has asked for privacy. She was in her 34th week of pregnancy when the babies were delivered; the normal time is 38 weeks for twins.

Her family were allowed into the delivery room to see the new mum and the newborns.

The baby girls, named Krista and Tatiana, were due to be delivered on Thursday at the B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre; as the babies were lying so close together there were some concerns that the umbilical cords might wrap around the neck of one or the other.

The medical team of 16 specialists had been practicing the complicated delivery using two dolls taped together at the head.

An L-shaped incision was made in order to remove the twins together as quickly as possible.

The surgery began around 11 a.m. PT and was over in 70 minutes later; it had been expected to take 90 minutes.

The twins are now in the care of a neonatology team led by Dr. Brian Lupton, a Neonatal specialist and have had IVs fitted to facilitate feeding.

Twins conjoined at the head are exceptionally rare and occur only once in two million births.

Experts say for the babies to survive the birth itself, is an achievement but the next few days will be critical.

If they do survive, surgeons have said a wait of several months to a year will be necessary before making a decision on whether the twins can be successfully separated.

The twins share two of the four lobes of the brain but have separate brain stems and doctors will need to decide if the girls can survive on their own.