Formerly Conjoined Twins 'Doing Very Well' After Australian Doctors Separated Them in Miracle Surgery

Twins Nima and Dawa were born conjoined, but spent their first moments apart Friday after a miracle surgery at an Australian hospital to separate them.

The 15-month-old sisters from Bhutan are “doing very well” and did not need extra recovery time in intensive care after the six-hour surgery to separate them, pediatric surgeon Joe Crameri of Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital told local reporters.

Crameri explained it was an uneventful surgery, with no major highs or lows, and no serious surprises.

"There weren't any things inside the girls' tummies that we weren't really prepared for," he said.

The twins and their mom, Bhumchu Zangmo, were flown to Melbourne in October, thanks to a charity organization that sponsored their treatment. They were originally supposed to undergo surgery last month, but it was postponed at the last minute.

Nima and Dawa were originally conjoined at the torso, with their livers and bowel connected. Crameri said he was not able to determine the extent to which their organs were connected ahead of the surgery.

But other hospital staff told press Zangmo had supported her babies’ doctors during the whole process, and was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief following the surgery.

“She was very stressed today, it has been a very difficult day for her,” Crameri said.

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