The odds are not in Chelsea and her husband Nick’s favor: months into their pregnancy, they found out that they were carrying conjoined twins, fused together at the chest and stomach, and they also likely share one pelvis.
Because of this, the Idaho couple’s future is uncertain, especially since they are planning to carry the babies to term and hope that they beat the odds.
The rollercoaster ride began in July when Chelsea found out that she was pregnant, but the delight the news’ brought was short-lived.
“Torres was five weeks along when an ultrasound failed to find the baby’s heartbeat,” said a TODAY report. “The next three weeks were filled with more ultrasounds and blood tests until doctors finally found a heartbeat and told her the startling news.”
She was carrying twins, and there weren’t a separation between them.
“The guy just walked in and said, ‘Your kids are stuck together,’ and I didn’t even know I was having [twins],” Chelsea recalled. “I kind of went into shock.”
Her first doctor said that she would probably miscarry, while another doctor said that there was only a 20-30% chance that the twins would survive and gave her an option to terminate.
While she and her husband considered the option, they eventually decided against it.
“I couldn’t do it,” Torres said.
Chelsea’s most current prognosis says that she may be able to carry to term, and her due date is on the 21st of February, 2017.
She has plans to deliver her babies via C-section weeks before the date.
At this stage of her pregnancy, the doctors believe that the twins have two hearts, two stomachs, and two spines, but their backs come together to share one pelvis.
Doctors also suspect that they share one bladder.
The couple plans to relocate to Houston where last year, doctors were able to separate two girls joined at the chest and sharing their lungs, diaphragm, liver, intestines, colon and pelvis.
Chelsea is aware that sometime in the near future she may have to make difficult decisions when it come to her twins.
“I really hope they’ll understand I didn’t do this just to be selfish,” she said. “I wanted to let them have a life. And if they do become handicapped, I’ll do the best I can as a mom who takes care of them and let them know they are loved.”
READ: Twins hugging after birth will melt your heart
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