A woman has given birth to conjoined twins, naming the girls Faith and Hope, after she and her husband resisted doctors’ advice to have an abortion.
At 18 years old, Laura Williams, from Shropshire, is the youngest mother ever to give birth to conjoined twins in Britain.
A spokesman for the family said that things were “looking fairly positive” for Mrs Williams and the two girls.
Doctors are thought to be exploring the possibility of separating the two girls, who are joined from their breastbones to their navels.
It is not known whether the girls share any vital organs – if they do, separating them will be far more complicated. They are thought to have separate hearts, which increases their chances of survival.
Mrs Williams and her husband Aled refused to have an abortion despite doctors’ advice.
Speaking before the girls were born, Mrs Williams said she was told to “get rid of them and if I didn’t get rid of them, they’d probably end up dying in me or I’d end up losing them before 16 weeks anyway”.
She added: “If they’re meant to be in this world and if they’ve come this far, we’ve got to hope they’ll make it the rest of the way.”