A BRAZILIAN woman has given birth to conjoined twins with one body and two perfectly formed heads.
Maria de Nazare, 23, gave birth to the twins by C-section at a hospital in Anajas, in Brazil's northern Para state. She has named them Emanoel and Jesus because they are a Christmas miracle.
The newborns weigh 4.6-kilograms and are healthy, although doctors say it is too early to tell how they will develop.
Each boy has his own brain and spinal cord, but they share all other organs, including the heart, lungs and liver.
Joseph Brazil, the obstetrician responsible for the delivery, said the twins have "an amazing appetite."
Claudionor Assis de Vasconcelos, director of the hospital, where the twins were born, added: "Despite all the problems we have as a small interior hospital we managed to save both mother and babies, which was our aim.
"And for us it was a great surprise to find out that the child was in really good health."
Ms De Nazare, who has other children, has bonded well with her newborns and wanted to take them home straightaway, she said.
Ms De Nazare was admitted to the Hospital Municipal de Anajas in severe pain early this week.
She did not have any ultrasound exams during her pregnancy and was made aware of the babies' condition only a few moments before the birth.
Obstetrician Neila Dahas said the condition was a result of "a delay in the division of the egg".
"I want her (the mother) to understand that she does not have a monstrous son, a son with two heads, but she has two sons."
Dr Dahas said that it "would be absolutely impossible" to separate the two heads as their body shares a liver, heart, lungs and pelvis.
She added that one of the boys was having respiratory problems and requires "special care".
