'Healthy' conjoined twins born to Indian mother share most of vital organs, doctors fear survival

A mother who could not afford to get ultrasound scans during her pregnancy received the shock of her life after she discovered that she has given birth to conjoined twins.

The two baby boys are joined together at the stomach and share legs and most of the other vital organs in their body. Despite the babies' remote chances of survival, their parents have vowed to give them the best chance.

Guddo Devi, the 25-year-old mother, could not afford to get ultrasound scans during her pregnancy. Therefore, the fact that she was carrying conjoined twins remained a mystery until the babies were finally delivered by caesarean section. The conjoined twins were born on Saturday, Dec. 19, at a hospital in Badaun in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.

The doctor who delivered the babies later revealed that the medics had no idea that the babies were conjoined twins, reports The Mirror.

“This was the first such case in our hospital and we all were shocked to witness the birth of the children,” said Dr Ruchi Gupta. "We only learned that the mother was carrying conjoineds twin at the last minute.”

Once delivered, the babies were immediately handed over to their mother without being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit because the twins were completely healthy. However, the doctors fear their survival as conjoined twins is slim.

The father of the conjoined twins, 27-year-old Dalvir Singh, said that his family is heartbroken, reports news.com.au. The family is now planning to consult a specialist at a bigger hospital for the separation of the babies.

The parents said that their daily wage was not enough for them to have an ultrasound scan while the babies' mother was pregnant. In addition, since the mother faced no complications during the “smooth” pregnancy, they thought that an ultrasound scan was unnecessary.

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