Conjoined twin sisters from Indonesia share a heart

Conjoined twin sisters who share a stomach and a heart are learning to enjoy life, but their mother says other children are scared of them.

Ai Putri Dwi Ningsih and Ai Putra Anugrah from West Java, Indonesia, were born joined at the waist. The four-year-old sisters have fully formed pairs of arms, but only two legs.

Doctors have ruled out any possibility of a surgery to separate the twins, because they share a heart – but the adorable toddlers are growing up fast and currently living happily.

Forever always: Dwi Ningsih and Anugrah (pictured) from West Java, Indonesia, were born joined at the waist. The four-year-old sisters have fully formed pairs of arms, but only two legs

Incredible home footage shows the twins working together to crawl across the floor to fetch their toys.

Conjoined twins occur when the zygote, the initial cell formed by sexual reproduction, does not completely separate.

It is believed to occur in roughly one in every 50,000 births, but just one per cent make it to their first birthday and two-thirds are stillborn.

The twins’ mother Ibu ya Yani said: ‘They love to race with their big brother. They are surprisingly very fast. They are very active kids and do not sit for a moment and crawl in the whole house.

Doctors have ruled out any possibility of a surgery to separate the twins, because they share a heart - but the adorable toddlers are growing up fast and currently living happily 

Doctors have ruled out any possibility of a surgery to separate the twins, because they share a heart – but the adorable toddlers are growing up fast and currently living happily 

Against the odds: Conjoined twins are believed to be born in roughly one in every 50,000 births, but just one per cent make it to their first birthday and two-thirds are stillborn

Against the odds: Conjoined twins are believed to be born in roughly one in every 50,000 births, but just one per cent make it to their first birthday and two-thirds are stillborn

CONJOINED TWINS EXPLAINED

Conjoined twins are two babies born physically connected to each other. The extent and site of their union varies from sharing a band of skin and underlying tissues to more complex varieties sharing vital organs.

Research shows that cases of conjoined twins are found in one of every 50,000 live births globally. 

Conjoined twins are the result of the embryo cells that have not completely separated. Embryo cells develop when the egg (ovum) is fertilised by sperm. They multiply and differentiate to form different body organs and tissues. 

An alternative theory is that two separate embryos fuse together in the early development of the twins.

The exact cause of conjoined twins is unknown but it’s thought that genetic factors interacting with environmental ones may contribute. 

Another possibility is the medicines taken by the mother during pregnancy. 

Source: Dr Joseph Wanjeri/The Conversation

‘They love to draw, watch TV, compete against each other while wearing clothes and sing together.’

But she added: ‘They rarely play outside the home as kids are scared of them.’

Yani, 30, and her husband Iwan Kurniawan, 34, who also have a ten-year-old son, Rendy Hermawan, did not know Yani was carrying twins until minutes before the delivery by caesarean section.

Yani said: ‘I did not have an ultrasound done and because my first born was healthy – I did not go for routine checkups. It was only before the delivery that doctors found out that I was carrying Siamese twins and told me natural birth would not be possible.

The twins' mother Yani said: 'They love to race with their big brother. They are surprisingly very fast. They are very active kids and do not sit for a moment and crawl in the whole house'

The twins’ mother Yani said: ‘They love to race with their big brother. They are surprisingly very fast. They are very active kids and do not sit for a moment and crawl in the whole house’

Yani, 30, and her husband Iwan Kurniawan, 34, did not know Yani was carrying twins until minutes before the delivery by caesarean section

Yani, 30, and her husband Iwan Kurniawan, 34, did not know Yani was carrying twins until minutes before the delivery by caesarean section

‘The first time I saw them, I was so shocked. I did not expect I was carrying twins and that they would look like that. I could not believe my eyes and wondered why were they joined together.

‘When my son saw his sisters, he felt sorry. He requested us to ask doctors to separate them so he could take them into his arms.’

TYPES OF CONJOINED TWINS  

Conjoined twins are classified based on the place they are joined.  

The most common types of conjoined twins are:

  • Craniopagus – fusion of the head
  • Thoracopagus – fusion of chest
  • Omphalopagus Parapagus – lateral fusion
  • Ischiopagus and Sacropagus – fusion at the lower back or sacrum

Kurniawan added: ‘After going through several examinations the doctor declared they were unable to perform an operation because the twins have only one heart and that we could lose both of them if a surgery is performed.

‘We did not want to lose any of our (chlidren) so we agreed with the doctor and brought them home with the hopes of raising them up happily.’ 

Yani and Kurniawan have tried to give their daughters a comfortable life. But as they are growing up, the parents, who have to depend on donations, are finding it hard to raise them.

Kurniawan said: ‘It was hard for Yani to take care of the three children. I had to be there to give my helping hand which meant I could not devote much time in work. I was asked to leave.

‘Since then I am (un)employed and (we) are completely relying on donations.’

Yani and Kurniawan have tried to give their daughters a comfortable life. But as they are growing up, the parents, who have to depend on donations, are finding it hard to raise them

Yani and Kurniawan have tried to give their daughters a comfortable life. But as they are growing up, the parents, who have to depend on donations, are finding it hard to raise them

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