The Short of it
Five-month-old Carter and Conner shared a liver, bile ducts and part of their small intestine and were fused at the belly and lower chest. But now the twins can sleep in two separate cribs, thanks to a successful separation surgery.
The Lowdown
In the fifth month of pregnancy, Michelle Brantley and Bryan Mirabal found out their babies were conjoined while they were still in utero.
"It was very overwhelming, upsetting and very sad," Michelle said. "We prayed a lot and had family and support, and we got through it."
They were told the boys could be separated after their birth. The procedure was risky—doctors were concerned about blood loss during the liver separation. It took months for them to practice and prep for the procedure. And, on Monday, they were able to successfully perform it.
"It was so awesome, walking up to the bed for the first time, and then it registered that I was just looking at Carter," dad Bryan said. "And then I thought, 'I have another baby over here, too!'"
The Upshot
On Monday, the hospital reported that Carter and Conner were in critical but stable condition. They'll need to stay there for at least another month before heading home. This is a huge relief for the boys' parents, who'd worried the worst could happen.
"We are starting to change around the house, getting cribs set up," said Bryan. "We hadn't started setting anything up because of what we were told could happen [in surgery]."
Our best wishes to this family!
source: http://www.parenting.com/news-break/conjoined-twins-separated-successfully-risky-surgery
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