Baby Born With Two Faces In Australia Dies

Baby girls Hope and Faith, conjoined twins who shared the same body and head but had two different brains and faces, died earlier today in Australia.

Earlier this month, Inquisitr reported about Hope and Faith, baby twins born to Sydney mother Renee Young. The baby girls suffered from Diprosopus, or craniofacial duplication – a rare congenital disorder whereby the face (or parts of it) gets duplicated on a single head.

The baby girls shared a single body and vital organs, including lungs, heart, stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, small and large intestines and bladder. However, Faith and Hope had two different brains connected by a single brain stem. They also had two different faces, with both babies’ eyes almost overlapping with each other.

The baby twins’ death was first announced on the official Twitter feed of Australia’s A Current Affairs. They were also the first news organization to cover the birth of the conjoined twins with two faces.

Parents Renee and Simon Howie expressed their message of thanks to those who supported them during the birth of the baby twins:

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported us. Much love to everyone. Our precious baby girls that gave it a good fight are headed to the arms of angels who will give them their wings”

The baby girls’ condition was discovered when an ultrasound visit during the later months of the pregnancy revealed a deformity on the babies’ facial features. Renee was advised by attending physicians to have the pregnancy terminated. Doctors believed that the baby girls will suffer harsh medical conditions if they were allowed to live. However, Renee went against expert advise and had the baby girls earlier this month.

Renee said shortly after the birth:

“You have to see it to believe it. Sometimes Faith will cry and wake Hope up, who then looks sideways as if to say ‘thanks for that.”

“We are blessed we’ve got this far. I just find them adorable.”

Baby girls Hope and Faith showed signs of health a few days after the birth. The two were in stable conditions and were able to breathe without assistance. Sadly, after 19 days of survival, the two babies died. The cause of death has not yet been revealed by the hospital.

The baby girls’ birth sparked abortion debate on the internet. Some opined that the parents should have terminated the pregnancy while others praised the couple for keeping the baby twins.

[Image from A Current Affairs and Daily Mail]