In the final days of 2019, Abigail and Micaela were born at UC Davis Children's Hospital. They were joined at the head, a condition called craniopagus twins. Conjoined twins are already extremely rare, but craniopagus twins are even more so. Only two percent of conjoined twins are born fused at the head. After a safe and successful delivery, UC Davis doctors and nurses began planning for a possible separation surgery.
mm. Two days before the New year. Twins Abigail and Michaela are born at UC Davis Children's Hospital, defying the odds before even taking their first breath. The beginning. It was scary on, uh, we didn't know what to expect. The baby girl's air attached at the head, never fully separating in the womb. They are rare conjoined twins. This is a set of twins that were born, joined by the skull. Soft tissues in brain. It's called craniopagus. It's a very, very rare anomaly. Craniopagus twins occur only once in about every 2.5 million births, making these girls literally mawr rare than one in a million. They're complicated. Case requires the expertise of a world class hospital. Like U C. Davis. Specialists at the Fetal Care and Treatment Center at UC Davis Children's Hospital cared for the twins while they were still in the womb. Now they're preparing for various possible complications during their delivery. These two babies were attached by the head, and we couldn't be sure how delicate that attachment might be. So wanting the delivery to be as easy and gentle is possible. U. C Davis is a level for Nick U. S. So we can be prepared for any baby that's born, um, with thes two babies. We did a lot of preparing ahead of time to make sure that we were prepared, um, and had the team's necessary thio take care of them like we need to because we don't see, um, twins like this every day when everything started happening. Um, I don't know. I was shaking, like for two hours once I saw them and when they were started crying, that was exciting moment. Theme twins spend nearly two months in the hospital. Cardiologists have to repair holes in their hearts. Not all craniopagus twins have anatomy that could be considered for surgical separation. Some share too many veins and blood vessels. But not Abigail in Michaela Rains actually are together, but not fused together. And so it presents, ah, unique opportunity for them to be separated and then have independent lives. It will take months of planning to prepare for the separation surgery. Until then, it's time for the twins to join the rest of their family. At seven weeks of age, Abigail and Michaela are ready to go home and finally meet their big brothers. Happy kids. Yeah, kids are really their way. Because the twins can't fit into a traditional baby car seat. They get a special ride home in the U. C. Davis Children's Hospital Ambulance. We're thinking that we're prepared, but so nervous and, uh, we'll see how it's gonna go.
