“The girls were born strong in spirit…”
Hannah and Dan recently became parents. They told their story about the fear and faith they experienced throughout the time their children were fused from breast to pelvis from birth.
The babies have different hearts, but the bladder, colon and limbs are common. They will have an operation, during which doctors hope that the separation of their organs will be successful.
Despite mentally preparing for the worst, the parents said the birth was a flawless experience at the moment it happened.
Hannah and Dan said that as new parents, they knew very little about what conjoined twins were. It was a new and incomprehensible experience for them when Annabel and Isabelle were born. The couple are hoping for a better development.
Hannah recalled the first days of pregnancy: “We went for an early ultrasound and there was one heartbeat. Then we got a huge surprise – it turned out to be twins, and we had to visit a doctor at a local hospital.”
Later, when we were looking at the picture taken by the doctor, it suddenly dawned on us, and I asked: “Are they fused?” The doctor replied, “Yes, I think so.”
Hannah said that the babies had a strong thirst for life and it seemed like a miracle to everyone when they finally lived to 35 weeks of pregnancy.
Now this beautiful family of four has returned to their home in County Antrim, where they are preparing for a surgery. When Hannah was asked about her feelings, the woman replied: “I believe that a lot will become known only during the operation, we just have to believe.”
The mother of the children added: “The girls were born strong in spirit. It will be a very long journey full of various obstacles for them. They probably have a lot of operations ahead of them, but we believe that they will have a full life. I believe with all my heart that the little ones will cope with this task!”
