Urmila Sharma, 28, couldn’t afford an ultrasound and therefore had no idea she was carrying the twins. She gave birth last Wednesday.
“She is presently alive and healthy,” Dr. Ashish Sehgal told The New York Daily News
of the twins, who share one body and all their vital organs, so separation is not possible.
Keeping the babies alive was a “real tough challenge”, said Dr Sehgal, but he is hoping for success “with crossed fingers”.
A complex and challenging surgery could save the babies’ lives, but doctors cannot operate until the twins are stable.
The twins were born weighing seven pounds, seven ounces and have not been named. They have two necks and two spines.
Ms Sharma’s family is reportedly “very distressed”, reports British newspapers.
Some conjoined twins can be separated, depending on which organs are shared and where the two babies are conjoined, but most are stillborn or die shortly after birth.
