In Bangladesh, a baby girl was born with two heads. Although her body contains only one set of organs, her two heads seem to be fully functional separate of each other.
According to the Independent , the baby girl’s father, Jamal Mia, has confirmed that both of the baby’s heads are performing normal newborn actions.
“When I saw my baby, I was awestruck. She has two fully developed heads. She is eating with two mouths and breathing with two noses. Still, I thank Allah that she and the mother are now okay.”
It is fortunate the baby girl was born in Bangladesh, where conditions of this type are viewed as special and even spiritual. The same cannot be said for more “advanced” countries, where the baby’s two heads may be viewed as deformities and possibly grounds for abortion.
PHOTOS: Shocked Woman Gives Birth To Baby With Two Heads And One Body https://t.co/0rS5OzPHKC pic.twitter.com/A9YpHGfTZ6
— Naij.com (@naijcom) November 13, 2015
Historically, when a baby was born with unusual congenital conditions and beat the odds to survive to adulthood, they were displayed in the circus sideshows as “freaks.”
Photoset: odditiesoflife: Vintage Photos of Conjoined Twins, One Body-Two Heads http://t.co/MPVoVbIm2l
— Matt W. (@godfatherofGB) March 20, 2015
Society has evolved to realize that babies born with conditions that once would have caused them to be outcasts are simply people like the rest of us, except they have unique hurdles to tackle.
Abby and Brittany Hensel, conjoined twin girls who share one body and two heads, are perhaps the most successful of conjoined twins. In 2012, the girls were the subject of a reality series on TLC. Though they share one body , they are two different people. According to BBC News , Abby controls the right side of their body, whereas Brittany controls the left. Each girl has a teaching certificate, and although they are paid only one salary, they can perform separate functions at the same time, Brittany says.
“One can be teaching and one can be monitoring and answering questions. So in that sense we can do more than one person.”
Abby hopes one day, as they gain experience and respect for their different styles, they may be able to earn more than a one-person salary.
“Obviously right away we understand that we are going to get one salary because we’re doing the job of one person.
“As maybe experience comes in we’d like to negotiate a little bit, considering we have two degrees and because we are able to give two different perspectives or teach in two different ways.”
Gostei de um vídeo @YouTube http://t.co/RXZEVioFwS Twins Abby and Brittany’s New TLC Reality Show – The Breakdown
— Sean O’Reilly (@seanoreillybr) April 18, 2015
Though the Hensel girls share one body with two heads, they are different from the baby girl born this week in Bangladesh in that they have some separate organs. Abby and Brittany have two sets of lungs, two hearts, and two stomachs.
So far, initial testing for baby girl Mia has indicated one body with one set of organs, reports ABC News . Standard Hospital of Total Healthcare owner Abu Kawsar states that aside from having two heads, the baby girl presents with the amount of vital organs normal to a single newborn baby.
For the rest of the world, the birth of this baby girl is an interesting story. For her family, however, it is a painful time, as they wonder what will happen to their baby girl in the future. Obviously, separation is not possible. Will she function as the Hensel girls, who are two completely different people?
Now in the intensive care unit for breathing problems, her parents must wonder what, if any, health problems the baby girl will face throughout her life. Jamal Mia states he is saddened for his baby girl, as he is a poor man and fears he will be unable to care for her properly.
What do you think about this precious baby girl’s birth?
[Image via Shutterstock]