Two weeks shy of delivery, one woman learned that something was seriously amiss with her pregnancy. When she finally saw her baby boy, she passed out on the operating table...
Expecting Parents
Now in her thirty-fifth week of pregnancy, Babita Ahirwar and her husband arrived at the Vidisha Sadar hospital in the Madhya Pradesh district. They were there for a routine ultrasound to verify that their baby was healthy. The newlyweds had always dreamed of starting a family together...
First Ultrasound
Babita, only 21 years old, had been married for just over eighteen months; they were looking forward to the birth of their first child. Babita and her husband, Jaswant Singh Ahirwar, 25, were unable to afford an ultrasound earlier than thirty-five weeks into Babita's pregnancy.
Not What They Were Expecting
Despite the lack of prenatal care, the pregnancy seemed to be coming along without any significant complications. Babita and Jaswant were confident that their child would be born healthy. When Jaswant accompanied his wife to the ultrasound, he was astounded by what the doctors told them...
Twins on the Way
On the ultrasound, it became apparent that Babita’s baby was abnormal. Doctors realized that the 21-year-old was actually going to give birth to twins. At first, the couple was ecstatic, but they soon discovered that all was not as it seemed...
Totally Unprepared
Two weeks later, Babita’s water broke. Due to the sudden introduction of twin babies, doctors were concerned about Babita's health. Instead of giving birth to the twins naturally, Babita's doctors decided it would be best for her to undergo a C-section...
She Couldn't Process It
Thankfully, the C-section appeared to be successful. At 7:30 a.m. on November 23, 2019, the couple welcomed their twin boys into the world. Then, a nurse handed the babies to Babita, who immediately passed out from shock...
Their Lives Were Changed Forever
“My wife fainted after she saw the baby,” Jaswant said. He went to explain that after the ultrasound, the couple was expecting twins, as per what the doctors had told them. However, when they took a look at their twins for the first time, they were speechless with surprise...
Nothing Like They'd Ever Seen
“Initially, I thought it was a twin,” Babita said. However, when the nurses removed the towel, Babita and her husband were stunned to find that their firstborn children looked nothing like they'd ever imagined. Jaswant even said that he thought they had received some sort of divine test from God.
First-Time Experience
Doctors at the hospital had never experienced a birth similar to Babita’s in the entirety of their career. The birth was so rare that the twins were eventually transferred to a different hospital that was "better equipped" to handle their condition.
Caught Off-Guard
The couple said they were shocked and devastated. “All we wanted was a normal and healthy baby, but the almighty wanted to punish us this way. I don’t know why,” said Jaswant, who works as a day laborer. At first, Babita and her husband were thrilled to hear they were having twins, but they never anticipated anything like this...
Crash-Landing into Parenthood
Babita and Jaswant were overcome with confusion. Their twins were not two separate babies, but one body with two heads. Their firstborn children also had three shared hands. Neither one of them had any idea how to react...
Conjoined Twins
The couple was uncertain what this meant for the twins' future. Not even the doctors were sure what to do. For many of them, this was the first occasion upon which they had encountered conjoined twins. The protocol was unclear. Would they be fit for surgery, or did they share vital organs?
Very Rare Condition
A pediatric specialist at Vidisha Sadar hospital, Dr. Surendra Sonkar, said of the twins, “This is a very rare condition.” It was the first time that Dr. Sonkar had ever witnessed a case like this in all his years working in pediatric care. He had no idea how to proceed...
They Shared a Heart
According to Dr. Sonkar, one of the newborns’ hands has two palms attached to it, but otherwise, the twins share a single heart and other internal organs. It was unknown what the fate of the still-unnamed babies would be. Currently, they are under round-the-clock observation at the hospital. Doctors are debating whether surgery is an option...
Extraordinary Circumstances
The specific condition from which the twins suffer is an extremely uncommon and often dangerous phenomenon. Conjoined twins are estimated to occur in one in 50,000 to 100,000 births, and only 11% of conjoined twins are dicephalus parapagus, like Babita’s babies.
Joined at the Hip
Dicephalus parapagus twins are fused side-by-side, usually at the pelvis and part or all of the chest and torso, but with separate heads. These twins can either have two, three, or four arms and two or three legs. The condition is caused when a fertilized egg starts splitting into two embryos a few weeks after conception, but the process never completes.
Unknown Future
Doctors are unable to tell whether the twins will be fit for surgery. The success of separation surgery hinges on where the twins are joined. Doctors can only figure out which organs are shared by the siblings after they are born, which means surgery is impossible to plan from ultrasounds alone...
One in a Million
Babita’s twins suffer from an extremely abnormal form of conjoining, which reportedly affects fewer than one in one million births. There is a very slim chance that the babies will both survive and be able to lead a normal life. Because the twins share all their organs, separation surgery is unlikely, but doctors haven’t ruled it out.
Fatherly Duties
Jaswant understands the severity of the twins’ condition, but he is determined to make the best of the situation. “People are saying many things, but he is my baby, and I will take him home,” he said. “As long as he is alive, I will love him and take care of him.”
Happy Together
This same year, another pair of conjoined twins turned 18 years old, vowing never to be separated. Shivanath and Shivram Sahu are now too old to undergo the operation, but they stated that they don’t regret staying together...
Working as a Unit
Five years ago, Shivanath and Shivram were approached by multiple doctors offering to perform separation surgery on them. Despite the limitations of their condition, the teenage boys have learned to work together in order to lead pretty normal lives.
"A Gift from God"
The boys are joined at the waist, but they only share a stomach, two legs, and four arms. Shivanath and Shivram have separate hearts and lungs, and they use their limbs in tandem to get around. The boys believe their condition is “a gift from God.”
Determining Their Future
Shivanath said that the pair will happily stay the way they are; they wish for nothing to change. “We can’t get separated now,” he went on. “It was possible when we were kids. Now it’s not.” Medical professionals are stunned by their independence and daily routine...
Independent Attitude
Every morning, the boys take a bath and get dressed together. They eat breakfast and comb one another’s hair. Then, they travel together on a modified bike in order to explore the village. Shivanath and Shivram are able to run on all six limbs around the house and on the cricket pitch.
Possible Complications
In 2014, Delhi medics said it would be possible to separate the twins. However, they noted that it posed serious risks for Shivanath. Dr. Krishan Chugh said that Shivram would likely keep their legs and lead a regular life, but Shivanath would be forced to sacrifice his legs, meaning he would need full-time care.
They Don’t Mind the Spotlight
Both the brothers and their father rejected the offer and its possible implications. The twins stated they are “two bodies and one soul.” Shivanath added, “We love getting the attention. It feels good when people know who we are.”
Confined to the Village
The brothers live with their parents and five sisters. Their family resides in the village of Kheda in the state of Chhattisgarh. Their father, Raj Kumar Sahu, 49, refuses to let his sons leave the village—but this doesn’t stop people traveling from all over the world to see the twins.
Family Patriarch
Regardless of their fame, the Sahu family receives no financial aid from the government. Raj, a day laborer like Jaswant, said he will “work tirelessly to nurture them” and won’t ask for anyone’s support. He takes care of them and rejects the idea of allowing his family to rely on outside help...
Healthy Teens
According to Raj, everybody in their village loves the brothers and enjoys playing with them. “I don’t want to go see the doctors, why should I?” he asked. “My children are healthy.” Similarly to Shivanath and Shivram, 49-year-old conjoined female twins Ganga and Jamuna never underwent separation surgery—but for different reasons...
Abandoned by Their Family
Ganga and Jamuna, like Shivanath and Shivram, were born sharing a stomach. Their parents were impoverished and unable to pay for medical attention. When the women reached their teenage years, their parents deserted them, claiming the twins were a sign of God’s fury.
They Found Love
The twins had no education and joined a traveling circus, where they performed for audiences across India, earning a decent living. However, by age 45, they were beginning to grow exhausted and lonely from years on the road. That’s when they met Ahmad, 36, who worked as a school teacher and part-time with the circus as a sound engineer...
Undeniable Chemistry
The women quickly fell for the kind-hearted man, but feared their feelings would never be reciprocated due to their appearance. Fortunately, they were wrong. The trio are happily married and work together at the travelling Dreamland Circus in India.
Staying Together
The twins were examined by doctors to verify whether separation was possible, but they have no plans to do follow through with the operation, believing it would be against God’s will, present too great a medical risk, and strip them of their employment.
A Bond That Can’t Be Broken
Some say that twins share a deeper connection than ordinary siblings—and for conjoined twins, that might be entirely true. Sharing the same body and organs is different than sharing a combined psyche, but it still creates a special bond that can only be understood by a certain number of people.