While doctors report the newborn is healthy and suckling at mother's breast, this is the second case of a two-headed baby being born in Brazil this year
While doctors report the newborn is healthy and suckling at mother's breast, this is the second case of a two-headed baby being born in Brazil this year A Brazilian woman has given birth to a baby with two heads, it was reported yesterday.
The boy was born by caesarean at a hospital in Anajas, in Brazil's northern Para state, weighing 9.9 lbs.
Small wonder: Doctors said that the child had two perfectly-formed
heads, one heart and all his organs function as normalScans show that while the child has two perfectly-formed heads, he has one heart and all his vital organs function as normal.
According to doctors the newborn is in perfect health and both heads have started nursing normally.
Painful deliveryThe 25-year-old mother, who lives in a rural area of the state, had no ultra-sound scans during her pregnancy and only found out about the abnormality minutes before the baby was born.
The hospital's director, Claudionor Assis de Vasconcelos said that the woman decided to travel to the hospital because she was feeling strong abdominal pains.
He said, "When doctors scanned her they realised that the baby had two heads and that a normal birth would be a great risk both for mother and baby. The caesarean took an hour because the baby was sitting down.
Despite all the problems we have as a small interior hospital we managed to save both mother and baby, which was our aim. And for us it was a great surprise to find out that the child was in really good health."
Happy motherVasconcelos added that at no point did the mother, who has three other children, appear distraught that her son has two heads.
He said, "On the contrary, the baby was received with much happiness by the family. The mother fed both mouths and the baby stayed with her in her room the whole time. Her desire was to take her baby straight home."
Remarkably, this is the second time a two-headed baby has been born in Brazil this year. Sueli Ferreira (27), gave birth to a two-headed baby in Paraiba State, but it died a few hours later because of lack of oxygen.
CONJOINED TWINSThe two-headed boy is in reality conjoined twins who share a single body. The condition is known as dicephalic parapagus - an extremely unusual form of conjoinment. Because they share the same body, it is not possible to separate dicephalic parapagus twins. There have been instances of dicephalic parapagus twins in the West. In the US Abigail and Brittany Hensel have become celebrities after they appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
9.9The weight of the two-headed baby (in pounds) after the mother delivered through a C-section
