Conjoined twins in Texas successfully separated after 11-hour surgery
The lead surgeons who helped successfully separate 3-month-old conjoined twins after an 11-hour surgery at a Texas hospital are talking about the amazing feat.
Sisters Aimelynn and Jaimelynn are now one step closer to heading home.
Last year, James Finley and Amanda Arciniega were surprised to find out they were pregnant with twins.
"She like, 'oh there's the baby's head' and I was like, well, if that's the baby's head, I was like, what's that? She was like, 'That's the other baby's head.' And I was like what," Finley recalled.
It was at the same doctor's appointment that the couple also learned their daughters were conjoined.
"On the ride home, we were quiet. And you know, it was kind of sad," Arciniega said. "And we were thinking, why us?"
Aimelynn and Jamielynn are omphalopagus twins, meaning they are joined at the abdomen and share a liver.
Before the babies were born, the family started working closely with a team of specialists at Cook Children's Medical Center to plan for their safe delivery and eventual separation.
"Every conjoined has a unique anatomy. They're all different," said Dr. Jose Iglesias, the medical director of pediatric surgery at Cook Children's Hospital. "They're gonna give you some surprises here and there. And their personalities, one's a little feisty one and another one's much more reserved."
More than 50 doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists came together to help safely separate the babies.
While one baby's surgical procedure went seamlessly, the other's wound has not yet closed. But doctors said both will recover.
Nearly 12 hours after surgery, Aimelynn and Jamielynn were rolled out of the operating room and now are in their own beds.
The happy moment was shared by both the family and the doctors.
These young girls have spent their entire life inside a hospital but now, the family is hoping that will change very soon. Doctors also said they will be keeping track of these girls well into their teenage years.
