The mother of conjoined twins who were successfully separated at 14 months has revealed her daughters are ‘resilient’ six months on from the life-changing operation. 

Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin of Petersburg, Michigan, were born ‘hugging each other’ and were connected from their chests to their belly buttons.

Each had their own arms and legs and heart, but their livers were connected. 

In August 2020, the twins underwent an 11-hour surgery at at Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and were successfully separated. 

They are now living independent lives at home with mother Alyson, 33, 광주 성형외과 father Phil, 32, and their four-year-old sister Kennedy.  

The mother of conjoined twins who were successfully separated at 14 months has revealed her daughters are ‘resilient’ six months on from the life-changing operation. Pictured, Sarabeth and Amelia in hospital after undergoing the operation to separate them in August 2020

Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin of Petersburg, Michigan, were born ‘hugging each other’ and were connected from their chests to their belly buttons.

Each had their own arms and legs and heart, but their livers were connected

They are now living independent lives at home with mother Alyson, 33, father Phil, 32, and their four-year-old sister Kennedy.

Pictured, the family before the girls’ operation last year

Speaking to the , Alyson recalled the first time she was able to hold her daughters after the procedure, which involved more than 24 medical staff.  

She explained there had been concerns over how the girls would develop being apart, but they were short-lived. 

Alyson continued: ‘Sarabeth was rolling on her stomach in the cot and it was the happiest we’d seen her.

We’d been worried about the psychological impact of being apart, but they were both saying – look how resilient we are!’

Alyson and Phil had learned about the conjoined twins at their 20-week scan in 2019.

The twins were born prematurely and shared a liver before being separated.

Pictured, in hospital before their operation

Pediatric heart surgeon Dr.

Richard Ohye (right) speaks with Alyson (center) and Phil (left) Irwin as twins twins Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin await their surgery on August 5 2020

Until that point, Alyson had been convinced she was having a ‘big old boy’ because the pregnancy had felt different to the one she had with Kennedy.   

It came as a shock when the ultrasound revealed conjoined twins. 

‘It kind of felt like the worst news you could receive, you know?’ Alyson previously told the  .