A mother has given birth to healthy conjoined twins
- Chelsea Torres, 22, from Blackfoot, Idaho, had Callie and Carter this January
- Ms Torres and her husband Nick, also 22, discovered their condition at a three week scan and continued with the pregnancy despite their slim survival chances
- The girls share two legs and one pelvis, but their vital organs appear separate
- Adjustments have been made, including a custom made car seat and clothing
- Some people stare at the twins, but people in their hometown are supportive
Alexandra Thompson Health Reporter For Mailonline
7
View
comments
A couple have released photos of their newborn conjoined twins after defying doctors who advised they terminate the pregnancy.
Chelsea Torres, 22, from Blackfoot, Idaho, gave birth to Callie and Carter at 37 weeks in January by Caesarean section following a nerve-racking pregnancy.
Doctors warned Ms Torres that the babies would unlikely survive beyond the 11 week pregnancy mark.
Yet, Ms Torres and her husband Nick, 22, have been assured that the twins, weighing 4.5lb (2kg) each, are healthy and do not need separation surgery.
Between 40 and 60 per cent of all conjoined twins are stillborn, with just over a third of those who do survive living less than a day, according to data from the University of Maryland.
Conjoined twins Callie and Carter Torres are healthy and not in need of separation surgery
Callie and Carter are omphalo-ischiopagus twins, which make up less than five per cent of conjoined twins.
This means they have just two legs and one pelvis between them, but have two separate torsos that face each other.
The girls do not appear to share any vital organs.
Their parents have adjusted to the challenge, ordering a custom made car seat and clothing
-
Pharmaceutical giants threaten to abandon the UK unless an…
NHS trust at heart of the baby death scandal has had to…
Millions are failed by GPs who shut in the afternoon: MPs…
More evidence Parkinson’s starts in the gut: Removing a…
CONJOINED TWINS: THE FACTS
Births of conjoined twins, whose skin and internal organs are fused together, are rare.
They are believed to occur just once in every 200,000 live births. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of conjoined twins arrive stillborn, and about 35 percent survive only one day.
The overall survival rate of conjoined twins is somewhere between 5 percent and 25 percent.
For some reason, female siblings seem to have a better shot at survival than their male counterparts.
The most famous conjoined twins were Chang and Eng Bunker, who were born in 1811 in Siam (now Thailand) and toured the world together.
Source: University of Maryland
Ms Torres said: ‘I was extremely anxious my whole pregnancy.
‘I had a planned a C-section and knowing the date I delivered was extremely hard.
‘The labour was bad since I went for a planned C-section.
‘They did the procedure and it felt really weird, but when they were here I was extremely happy.
‘The first time I held them I was nervous because I had just had my C-section and they were so fragile to me.
Despite going against doctors orders, Ms Torres is relieved she continued with the pregnancy.
She said: ‘I’m so happy I didn’t terminate Callie and Carter, they are amazing.
‘I knew termination would not happen and I’m glad that little speck of thought I did have, I pushed away.
‘My husband and I are very excited.’
Ms Torres discovered she was pregnant with conjoined twins at her three week scan.
Nick Torres, 22, and his wife Chelsea, also 22 (pictured with their 3-year-old son Jaysin) defied doctors who advised an abortion after the conjoined twins were revealed at an early scan
Despite being told the babies’ survival chances were slim, they decided to continue with the pregnancy.
Now three months old, the girls do not need separating.
Ms Torres said: ‘The doctors say because the girls are so healthy, they do not recommend separation.’
They were born by C-section after the family moved 1,400 miles nearer to a specialist hospital
The couple, who are also parents to three-year-old Jaysin, temporarily moved 1,400 miles to be closer to a specialist hospital in Houston, Texas.
Ms Torres said the past few months have been a huge adjustment.
She added: ‘Their clothing and car seats are completely different. We have to sew their clothing together and the car seat is custom made.’
Ms Torres said some people stare at the twins, but people in their hometown are supportive
Although some people stare at the family, Ms Torres adds that most are supportive.
She said: ‘Everyone in our hometown is supportive and knows our story.
‘We get some people who stare and we get some people who say they have been following our journey.’
Share or comment on this article
-
Pictured: Moment ‘ISIS inspired’ student, 20, ‘left… -
Dummy diplomacy: North Korean weapons displayed during… -
North Korea vows to wipe out US and South Korea with… -
Horrified mother shares disgusting online grooming… -
Police dashcam video shows the horrifying moment a cop… -
Delta throws a passenger off a plane because he used the… -
The murder that shocked Germany – and why its leaders are… -
Jackie Kennedy’s strict diet of an egg for breakfast and… -
‘I think I’m gonna hang it up, lol’: Aaron Hernandez… -
Couple are kicked off a British Airways flight from… -
The brutalist tower blocks that changed the London… -
Tax cuts for the middle class and an IRS return that fits… -
Heartbroken family reveal terminally-ill Bradley Lowery… -
‘He wasn’t an addict. He made a mistake’: Mother shares… -
Cash me in court! Infamous 14-year-old Dr. Phil guest is… -
Traffic warden ‘tries to ticket a car with an UNCONSCIOUS… -
Fox News host and former O’Reilly sidekick Jesse Watters… -
Branson bankrolls Miller’s bid to oust Brexit MPs: Virgin…
Comments 8
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Close
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Close
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.