My girls were joined at the head – docs told me they could die, look at them now

LILIYA Bachinskaya, 39, lives in Sacramento, California, with husband Anatoliy, 39, a truck driver, and their seven children.

Their remarkable journey began when Liliya discovered she was carrying conjoined twins at her 11-week scan.

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“Running from one hospital cot to the other to see each of my baby girls was the strangest feeling.

Most mothers of multiples are experts at being in two places at once – but at 10 months old, this was the first time my twin daughters had been apart, and I was not used to it! 

I’d been told my babies were conjoined twins at my 11-week scan and warned their chances of survival were slim.

Doctors couldn’t say if separation would ever be possible.

But my husband Anatoliy and I wanted to continue with the pregnancy.

Now, a team of 30 medics had carefully separated them during a complex 24-hour surgery. 

Already parents to three boys, Timofey, then eight, Timyr, six, and Vladislav, four, we were thrilled to discover I was pregnant again. 

But at my scan, a doctor said: ‘It looks like you have conjoined twins.’ English is my second language, and I didn’t understand what he was saying.

But translating the words from the leaflet I’d been given into Russian, I realised my babies were somehow joined together. I went into shock and started crying. 

But Anatoliy was determined. ‘We love these babies,’ he said. ‘We’re going to wait for them.’

A scan showed they were craniopagus twins – conjoined at the head and facing away. It was incredibly rare.

Despite constant medical appointments, I tried to live a normal life.

Risk of heart problems

My friends were amazed to see me out for dinner and hanging out with them.

But apart from being bigger than I’d been with the boys, I didn’t feel any worse during my pregnancy. 

MRI scans had confirmed that there was a good chance they could be separated. It was a huge relief, but I tried not to think too far ahead 

At my five-month scan, even when doctors said the girls might have problems with their hearts or could die after birth, I focused on my love for them.

By then, MRI scans had confirmed that there was a good chance they could be separated. It was a huge relief, but I tried not to think too far ahead. 

The preparations for my caesarean at 35 weeks were intense – a team of 200 medics trained for my babies’ arrival.

Lying in theatre in December 2019 felt surreal. The second they were born, Abigail at nearly 7lb and Micaela at nearly 6lb, they were whisked away to the NICU.

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But my relief that they were here, safe and breathing, was overwhelming. 

I saw them the next day and was overcome with love. Holding them in my arms, I knew everything would be OK.

They were just my girls, and our boys loved them immediately. 

At six months old, doctors said the twins needed to be separated, because there was a risk of shared blood vessels and organs becoming larger or more entwined as they grew older.

Of course, there was fear, but we trusted the doctors, so we agreed. 

In October 2020, they underwent surgery. Covid had hit by then, so we couldn’t wait for them in the hospital.

In the years since, they’ve had many medical procedures… and they’ll need surgery to rebuild the bones on their heads at some point

We were kept updated by text throughout the operation, however, and reading that the girls had been separated after 24 hours under the knife, I was so relieved. Running into the NICU, I cried with happiness, and it was surreal how light each girl felt in my arms. 

They recovered well, and on Christmas Eve our baby girls came home. It was incredible to see them look at each other, as they hadn’t been able to before – they just seemed so happy. 

In the years since, they’ve had many medical procedures, with physical therapy, eye appointments and heart checks, and they’ll need surgery to rebuild the bones on their heads at some point.

But they are the happiest, most wonderful girls, with such a close bond.

They’ve just begun to understand they were born conjoined, and we’ll tell them more as they get older. 

For their fifth birthday in December last year, I watched them play with their five brothers – Adam was born in 2021 and Nikolay in 2024 – and felt so happy.

I know I was meant to be their mum. I’ll be grateful for them forever.”

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