Michelle and Bryan of Jacksonville, FL, weren't planning on having another baby so quickly after their first son. But when they learned that they were pregnant a second time — and this time, with twins — they were over the moon. However, their joy quickly turned to extreme concern when they learned that Conner and Carter were conjoined at their stomachs. The twins share a liver and small intestine.
Conjoined twins are among the rarest pregnancies, an anomaly that poses a major risk of miscarriage. The fact Michelle carried Conner and Carter to full-term was a miracle all in itself. When they were five months old, they underwent a 12-hour surgery to separate their bodies for the first time. Led by a 17-member team of highly skilled pediatric specialists (blue for Carter, green for Conner, and white for surgical support), surgery began at 7:11 a.m. Conner’s surgery was finished at 6:29 p.m. Carter’s surgery ended at 6:47 p.m and he was transferred to the PICU at 7:14 p.m. to join his brother.
In the video below, the successful surgery is met with hugs, cheers and lots of tears from the medical staff and family members. At 9 months old, Conner and Carter were finally able to visit with each other regularly as separate twins and regain their brotherly bond.
More from LittleThings: Sperm Donor Discovers He Is Biological Father Of 97 Kids And Pushes For Donor Limits
Please SHARE their incredible story with your friends on Facebook!
This story originally appeared on LittleThings in November 2020.
Bryan and Michelle welcomed their conjoined twin boys born on December 12, 2014, in Jacksonville, FL. According to CNN, the overall survival rate of conjoined twins is between 5% and 25%, with about 75% of surgical separations resulting in at least one twin surviving.
Five months later, the miracle twins underwent a successful separation surgery. The separation involved a 17-member surgical care team (blue for Carter, green for Conner, and white for surgical support).
Carter and Conner’s mother, Michelle, said, “We are so grateful to everyone who has taken care of our babies. We had so much confidence in them and they have been so good to us and to our family. We can’t wait to take Carter and Conner home!”
Carter and Conner's mom continues to post Facebook updates on the boys' progress. She says both boys are behind developmentally but are slowly catching up with their milestone. Most importantly, Carter and Conner are extremely happy babies!
