Rare twins have distinct personalities: parents

Sydney conjoined twins Hope and Faith may share the same body, but they already have very different personalities, according to their parents.

The sisters – only one of 35 recorded cases of diprosopus, where twins share a heart, limbs and a skull, but each has their own brain and face – have surprised doctors with their progress less than two weeks after being born by Caesarean section.

Now their parents, Renee Young and Simon Howie, say the twin sisters have also started to develop their own personalities.

"Faith tends to cry a little more, while Hope takes after her mum and likes to sleep a lot," Mr Howie told Woman's Day magazine.

"Faith blows little bubbles and loves sucking her thumb but Hope prefers the dummy."

Meet Sydney's miracle twins Hope and Faith

"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'," Ms Young added.

The couple also revealed they had faced harsh and often hurtful criticism from people who disagreed with their decision to go ahead with the pregnancy, after doctors advised them to terminate at 19 weeks.

But Ms Young vowed to rise above it, saying she had "more important things to worry about".

"Other people's opinions don't matter, but it's sad to hear it. Maybe they are just scared of difference," she said.

The couple, who were already parents to seven other children in a blended family, said despite the girls' uncertain future, every day spent with their twins is a blessing.

Source: Woman's Day
Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Jack Hawke