Rosie and Ruby Formosa: Conjoined Twins Successfully Separated in Emergency Surgery, Can Lead Normal Lives [VIDEO]

Just one day after the birth of conjoined twins Rosie and Ruby Formosa, the sisters (who were joined at the abdomen and shared part of the intestine) were rushed in for emergency surgery in order to attempt a miracle separation. The twins' mother was warned by doctors that her babies might not survive the pregnancy - but to the joy of Angela Formosa and her family, the girls survived the separation are expected to live healthy and normal lives. The twins, who underwent emergency operation at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) on July 27, are now 12-weeks old and as beautiful and healthy as ever.

According to 32-year-old Formosa (who had a typical pregnancy with her first daughter Lily, now five), finding out that she was carrying conjoined twins came as a totally shock: "At an early pregnancy scan they said the twins looked very close together so I went to King's College for another scan. Between 16 and 20 weeks we found out that they were joined - I didn't know what to think, I was shocked and I felt sad. We didn't know what to expect until they were born - the doctors could not tell where they were connected."

Doctors decided to deliver the twins early at 34 weeks. Formosa underwent a C-section at the University College Hospital on July 26, and just hours later Rosie and Ruby were transported to GOSH. Formosa's husband David (36) rushed to join the girls, and Angela joined them the next morning after spending the night in the hospital to recover.

Rosie and Ruby were operated on by a team of specialists led by paediatric surgeon Professor Agostino Pierro.

"In this case, the twins were joined by the abdomen at the level of the umbilicus and shared part of the intestine. The operation to separate the twins had to be performed as an emergency because of an intestinal blockage," Pierro explained. "We are delighted with the outcome of the operation. The babies will need further treatment in the future, but we expect that they will both be able to lead happy and normal lives."

Following the successful separation surgery, Formosa was beyond thankful for what GOSH was able to do for her baby girls: "What they have done for my two girls is amazing. When I was pregnant they were saying that the survival chances were quite low. For them to have been operated on and doing so well - it is amazing."

Rosie and Ruby remained in intensive care for just six days, and were able to finally go home for the first time three weeks later. They may need further surgery in six months and maybe another operation sometime after that, but everything currently looks good and healthy.

"They are really well, they are putting on weight." Formosa claims in a baby update."They are normal bubbly babies who are starting to smile and cry when they want something."

Conjoined twins are very rare - only about one out of every 250,000 babies are born like Rosie and Ruby Formosa.