Mauritian couple, Marie Helene Papillon and her husband were expecting twins with gusto only to discover their twins were Siamese at birth. The mother delivered the babies through a cesarean section and was discharged from the hospital four days after the procedure.
In describing her pregnancy experience, Helene said she was struck with awe when the doctor told them four months into the pregnancy that they were expecting twins. She couldn’t wait, her heartbeat skipped with excitement every time she saw their hearts during the ultrasound scans. At the time of delivery, she was shocked beyond her wits when she was told her babies were stuck.
The condition is extremely rare, statistics show that it occurs once in every 190,000 births. The twins weighed 4.1 kg at births. The twins are bound around the rib cage, the abdomen, and parts of the heart. Dr. Nasseema Aumeer, the pediatrician at the hospital said it was possible to separate their hearts and liver so they can exist as separate individuals.
Ian Papillon, the father of the twins, has said preparations are already being made for the twins to be transferred abroad. According to him, he said their passports are already being processed and the Ministry will handle their trip. He, however, appealed that a caregiver is allowed to travel with his wife as she will need such attention after coming out of a cesarean section only recently.
The sisters are expected to remain under observation at the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital. The last time Siamese birth was experienced in Mauritius was in 1992.