A baby has been born to a woman in India with an extremely rare congenital condition that left an additional head attached to her abdomen.
Amlekha Bairva gave birth to the baby last month in a small government-run hospital in her village before she was transferred to JK Lone Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, for further medical evaluation.
The baby girl, who has not yet been named, was born naturally and weighed four pounds and eight ounces. Doctors said the additional head is fully formed and connected by the neck to the baby’s abdomen.
The baby is now under close observation in the neonatal intensive care unit, and doctors hope to perform a specialized operation to separate the extra head once her condition is stable.
Dr. Chetan Sharma, a pediatric surgeon at JK Lone Hospital who will perform the procedure, is optimistic about the outcome.
“This is a case of heteropagus twinning, commonly known as parasitic twinning. In cases like this, surgery can be successful,” he said.
“She’s a healthy baby with a normal heartbeat. She doesn’t have any other internal or external complications, and that increases her chances of recovery. We are confident the operation will be successful and she will be able to enjoy a normal life without long-term complications.”
Amlekha and her husband, Ramji Lal Bairva, who also have a 5-year-old son, were unable to afford ultrasound scans during the pregnancy, so the condition was not detected beforehand.
Ramji Lal, a daily laborer, said he was overwhelmed when he first saw his daughter.
“I didn’t take my wife to the doctor during her pregnancy because I couldn’t afford the medical expenses,” he said. “Our first child was born healthy, so I never imagined there could be complications with our second child. When I saw my daughter, I could hardly believe it.”
“I have faith in God. I hope the operation is successful and she grows up healthy like any other child,” Ramji Lal added.
The hospital has confirmed that the family will not be charged for the baby’s treatment or the upcoming surgery.
Parasitic twinning is a rare condition that occurs when twin embryos begin developing in the womb but do not fully separate, resulting in one twin developing more completely than the other.
