PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Conjoined twins Angelica and Angelina Sabuco, joined at the chest and abdomen, will soon be separate little girls. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is preparing a November 1 surgery to separate the two-year-olds, born in the Philippines and now living in San Jose, Calif. The operation, including six hours of work to cut apart the girls and two to three hours of reconstruction, is the culmination of several months of complex planning involving specialists from nearly every part of the hospital.

“This is a major operation, but we really expect both twins to survive and to do well,” said pediatric surgeon Gary Hartman, MD.

The surgery will be the second separation of conjoined twins performed at Packard Children’s. The first pair was successfully separated in 2007 by a team that Hartman led. The Sabucos’ operation is expected to be less complex because they share fewer organs.

Angelica and Angelina’s mother, Ginady Sabuco, was seven months pregnant when she learned her twins were conjoined. “I was asking God: why us, why me?” she said, recalling the day she got the news. It was especially difficult because her husband Fidel was living and working in San Jose while Ginady and their son lived in the Philippines.

After joining Fidel in California in late 2010, Angelica and Angelina were seen at Packard Children’s to evaluate their physiology and the risks of separation.

“I want them to live normally, like other children,” said Ginady, explaining the separation. In addition to the obvious psychosocial difficulties, remaining conjoined carries risks for the twins’ physical health, such as muscular and skeletal deformities that will worsen with time.

The radiology team began the assessment by performing extensive imaging. “CT scans showed that the girls have separate hearts that may touch at their tips. Their livers are tightly fused together. Their intestines touch and may be herniated in some spots, but their digestive systems function separately. Their sternums are joined together; their ribs are separate,” said radiologist Frandics Chan, MD.

The next step in the twins’ preparation, performed in July, was surgery to insert tissue expanders in four places under their skin. The expanders are small balloons, gradually inflated with liquid to prompt growth of extra skin that will be used to repair their separation. Each of the four expanders (two per child) was inflated weekly; the expanders are now the size of soft-drink cans.

During the CT scan and the surgical procedures to implant and inflate the tissue expanders, the anesthesiologists kept a close eye on responses to sedation and anesthesia. “We’ve anesthetized them five or six times now, and they’ve been very, very stable,” said anesthesiologist Gail Boltz, MD. The girls’ circulation is mostly unshared, which makes anesthesia safer, she added.

Hartman, Chan, Boltz and plastic surgeon Peter Lorenz, MD, have devised a detailed plan for the surgery, which will involve more than 20 physicians and nurses. They’ve decided where each piece of equipment will stand, and implemented a color-coded plan for keeping straight which personnel and tools are assigned to each twin.

Hartman will make the first incisions in the girls’ skin and muscle, and Lorenz will cut through their rib bones. Hartman will separate the girls’ diaphragms and livers, which are firmly adhered along their longest sides. The liver separation will be the riskiest segment of the surgery because it is the most likely to cause blood loss. Hartman will then cut any adhesions between the girls’ bowels, and cut the last bit of skin that joins the sisters. Then, in separate operating rooms, the reconstruction phase will begin.

Lorenz and his team will rebuild the girls’ chest and abdominal walls. They will implant a thick, custom-made resorbable plate in each girl’s chest where the sternum should be, and graft bone pieces removed during the separation onto the plates.

“The plates will dissolve over about a year and a half,” Lorenz said. “That gives the grafted bone plenty of time to fuse, so eventually the girls will have normal bones and stable chests.”

Afterward, the girls will be in intensive care, where they’ll recover for four to five days before being moved to a regular room for another week or so. Then they’ll head home to San Jose to start their lives as two ordinary little girls. Ginady anticipates that many things will be easier – she’ll finally be able to give the twins breaks from each other when they argue – but that her sweet daughters will still be basically themselves.

“Angelica is more talkative and Angelina’s a silent type,” Ginady said. The girls love to play “mommy and baby” with each other and listen to stories and music, she added. They know their colors and can count to 10. When Angelica coughs, Angelina gently pats her back.

Now, Ginady and Fidel are preparing the girls for the same ordinary challenges any parent anticipates. “I hope that when they grow up, they go to school, graduate and get stable jobs,” Ginady said. “I want them to have a good future.”

It’s a future that’s starting to look very bright. “We think the surgery will be quite successful,” said Hartman, “and our team is looking forward to helping Angelica and Angelina live the most normal of lives.”

Please visit http://conjoinedtwins.lpch.org for additional information, artwork, photos and video of Angelica and Angelina.

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EDINBURGH, Scotland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A study by Skyscanner.net has revealed that parents flying with some airlines may be spending more on infant fees than the cost of a full adult fare.

Although children under two are able to travel without having to purchase a separate seat, research carried out by flight comparison site Skyscanner has found that in some cases it is actually cheaper to purchase an additional seat for an infant than to pay the fixed infant fee charge.

Many of those travelling with children under the age of two may be unaware that they can purchase a seat for their tot, providing they travel in a car seat and are over six months of age*. This means that parents get more room, often additional baggage allowance and may even save money too.

While many airlines charge a percentage of the full seat price for infants to fly on their parent’s knees, most carriers charge a set infant fee of between £30 and £50, often a similar cost to the price of paying for a seat on a low cost airline.

For instance the research found parents flying with an infant on bmibaby could actually save £7 if they bought a seat rather than paying the set infant charge on some flights, as per the example below. Although all the other airline examples in the study showed that it cost more to book a seat than pay the infant fee, this was a relatively small amount, ranging from just £3 to £30 for a return flight:

The study also revealed that, due to the disparity between some airlines charging a fixed cost for infant fees and others charging a percentage of the full fare, the total cost for one adult and one infant could vary considerably.

For instance in the example below using a similar route and dates, Thomson becomes a cheaper option than both Ryanair and easyJet for one adult and one infant, and although BA remains the most expensive, the difference is minimal:

Skyscanner’s Mary Porter, mother of one, said: “Many parents may not know that it is even an option to purchase a seat for under 2’s, but this could be a very appealing option for parents who don’t want a wriggling toddler on their knee for the duration of the flight, especially those booking longer journeys and if they can get this benefit without having to pay a huge amount extra then it’s the perfect situation!”.

All fares and fees correct as at 20 Sep 2011. Prices taken from Skyscanner.net

Consumers looking for unique and helpful baby items will love the newest Parent Tested Parent Approved award winners. Whether it’s a SwaddleDuo™, a Peek Away Nursing Pillow or a Bumbo Table Companion, you can feel confident in your purchases when choosing PTPA tested products. These, among others, have recently been awarded the coveted PTPA Seal of Approval.

PTPA Media is North America’s largest parent tester community – a credible third party resource for parents with over 40,000 volunteer parent testers.
“Seeing the PTPA Winner’s Seal on a product package or website helps parents identify products that have been tested and recommended by other parents. It’s like shopping with your best friend,” says PTPA Founder and CEO, Sharon Vinderine.

Since 2008, PTPA has evaluated thousands of products and services from leading manufacturers and emerging brands. Because independent parents evaluate these products in their own homes, PTPA winners are chosen based on merit and consumer experience – not on commercial considerations.

PTPA Media is a recognized source by the media for credible and reliable recommendations for their audiences. Recognized TV personality, PTPA Founder and CEO Sharon Vinderine has presented PTPA Award winners on over 40 morning shows including the Rachael Ray Show, Fox and Friends and Canada AM.

Here are just a few of the innovative new products to receive the PTPA Winner’s Seal of Approval for their most recent 2011 campaigns:

Baby Gourmet Organic Baby Food – Great for growing taste buds this 100% organic and conveniently packaged baby food offers healthy meal variety for on-the-go babies.

Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers – Proven leakage protection made especially for squirmy, wiggly babies at changing time. Easy, fast changing time you’re going to love.

EmBelle Baby Bibs – Drool in style with these adorable bibs! These well-made character bibs will have your doctor or ballerina-to-be looking too cute.

Gummi Mat – The knobby texture allows young children to be able to easily pick up first foods from their trays. The non-slip mat reverses for seasoned diners.

Aleva Naturals™ Sleep Easy™ Baby Wash – Soothing and relaxing blend of lavender and chamomile oils to help baby into a restful sleep.

ErgoPouch Sleeping Bag – Babies love sleeping soundly in their sleeping bags. They help prevent entanglement in covers while preventing overheating. (PRWeb)

Every month after my first daughter was born we would take her for her monthly check-up at the doctor’s office. Of course, she was weighed every time we went and we would ask the doctor to write the weight down for us. When we got home, we would make a cake for her and write on the cake her age and her weight for that month. Then we would take a picture so we could always remember this special time!

With my second daughter, we varied the tradition a bit. Instead of making a cake and decorating it with words and numbers, we made cupcakes. For the first month she got one cupcake, for the second month, two cupcakes, and so on. We then printed out on our computer her age and weight. I (as the cake maker) have found doing the cupcakes much easier than baking an entire cake and writing on it with different decorations.

The pictures can then be placed in a photo album or the baby’s baby book. These pictures came in especially handy at my oldest daughter’s first birthday party. We sent the pictures to a photo centre and had them blown up to 8” x 10”. We then used them as party decorations by placing them up on the wall. It was wonderful that everyone could go through her first year at a glance!

Written By: Kate Beswick

[tags]first_birthday_party, doctors_office, first_daughter, baby_book, party_decorations, parents, brother[/tags]

I have found that sitting down and organizing my thoughts on paper is a great way to make sure that I don’t forget anything that we will need while we are gone. I mentally go through my day with my infant daughter and as I come across things that we use, I write them down. The good news about this process is that you only need to do it once. That is, until your baby becomes a little older and starts needing different things. But make the list once, save it on your computer, or put a hard copy on your family bulletin board and the next time you pack, it will be a breeze! Here is what is on my list for when my baby and I are leaving for a trip.

Written By: Kate Beswick
[tags]travelling_with_a_baby, diaper_changes, sleepless_nights, having_a_baby, vegetables, family_bulletin_board, sleep, parents[/tags]