Separated Nepalese twins celebrate birthday

Baby Jamuna Shrestha celebrates her first birthday with father, Bhushan

SINGAPORE -- Separated Nepalese twins have spent their first birthday in a Singapore hospital with doctors cautiously optimistic about their recovery from surgery a month ago.

But there was no gift and no cake with candles for Ganga and Jamuna Shrestha because they were still in a hospital intensive care unit where the four-day operation to split their intertwined brains was completed on April 10.

"They're in the ICU so no gifts allowed," Singapore General Hospital spokeswoman said, adding that the family had planned a low-key celebratory lunch.

The girls, who had two brains encased in one enlarged skull, have progressed from a critical to "high dependency" condition. They are eating and breathing without help but will stay in the ICU for another two to three months.

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"It's a very slow process," the spokeswoman said.

The twins will need more surgery as they grow but no trips to the operating theatre are scheduled for the moment beyond routine wound inspections and dressing changes.

They now stand the chance of leading a normal life and will be able to see each other face-to-face.

Doctors are cautiously optimistic about the girls' condition as movement in their arms and legs indicates there was no severe paralysis.

The babies, who were kept on ventilators in a drug-induced sleep for days after the rare surgery, have not suffered any major strokes, brain swelling or brain infections.

The twins have been in Singapore with their parents and grandfather since October. Doctors gave their services for free and more than $357,000 in public donations poured in to help the impoverished Nepalese family cover the hospital costs.

Twins fused at the head are rare, occurring only once in every two million live births.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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