VIDEO: Texas Hospital Celebrates First Conjoined Twins Separated in 11-Hour Surgery

Two baby girls are recovering after undergoing a historic surgery Monday at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

JamieLynn and AmieLynn are now known as the first conjoined twins doctors separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center, according to a press release.

A photo shows the babies as they lay face to face:

The infants also shared a liver that was separated during the 11-hour long procedure.

“After the surgery, the girls returned to Cook Children’s NICU to begin their journey to recovery, this time on the road together, but separate,” the new release said.

“We really love your girls.” 💕

Emotional day at @CookChildrens as hospital celebrates its first-ever separation surgery for conjoined twins AmieLynn & JamieLynn Finley of Fort Worth.

After 11-hour surgery both girls are recovering well. @NBCDFWhttps://t.co/bzEdfGFuhC pic.twitter.com/pgG37LmoAP

— Katy Blakey (@KatyBlakeyNBC5) January 25, 2023

Medical professionals detailed the surgery during a press conference on Wednesday, one noting, “They’re going to grow up into the little girls that they’re supposed to be, independent and feisty like they have already shown us,” he added.

Parents James Finley and Amanda Arciniega could not believe their eyes when they saw the babies resting in separate cribs on Monday.

“We’ve learned how to be strong,” their father said, while their mother recalled what she told them the moment they met again after surgery.

“Mommy’s here,” she told reporters.

Per the news release, the babies are considered omphalopagus twins, which means they are joined at the abdomen and share one or more of their organs.

Video footage shows the team of doctors preparing for surgery:

Now, the babies are working toward recovery, and according to Dr. Jose Iglesias, “The first steps are going to be healing of the very large incision that is required to separate them. We have to wait for their gut to start to work before we start allowing nutrition to move through their intestines.”

“Some of these things may require staged procedures so the family’s ready that the abdominal closure may take more than one operation. We’re hopeful it won’t, but that’s a possibility,” he added.

Despite the challenges ahead, doctors remain optimistic.

“I’m very hopeful that they’re going to have a good recovery and lead healthy lives in the future,” Dr. Iglesias concluded.