Conjoined Twins Born In Valley
Delivered By Caesarian Section After 32-Week, 4-Day Pregnancy
POSTED: 1:37 pm MST August 14,
2008
UPDATED: 2:29 pm MST August 14,
2008
PHOENIX -- A Kingman woman has given birth to conjoined twins at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.The babies, born Wednesday, are joined at the abdomen, from the diaphragm to the bottom of their torso. They have all of their own limbs and organs but share a liver.Their sex is unclear at this time. Together, they weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces.Parents Ashley Frank and Johnny Mendoza said they first learned of the twins when her obstetrician saw something he couldn't confirm during a scheduled ultrasound in May.A referral visit to a Valley perinatologist confirmed that Frank was not only having twins, but that the twins were connected at the abdomen.The decision to deliver the twins came after a recent ultrasound found a decrease in the amniotic fluid surrounding the twins, said fetal ultrasound specialist Dr. William Clewell,"A few weeks ago, everything was looking fine for the twins," Clewell said. "Her most recent scan, though, revealed a near-complete absence of amniotic fluid and an enlarged bladder."Clewell said the findings told the team that the babies were developing a urinary tract obstruction and the blockage was putting both fetuses in danger.“Since they were at 32 weeks gestation, they are of an age where they have sufficient respiratory and cardiac function to survive and grow out of the womb," Clewell said.Frank has two older daughters, Manuela, 2, and Adianna, 1.After their birth, the twins were transferred the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Phoenix Children's Hospital located inside Banner Good Samaritan.The twins are believed to be the first live conjoined twins born at Banner Good Samaritan in more than 20 years.
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