{"id":251595,"date":"2021-08-20T12:44:15","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T17:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=251595"},"modified":"2021-08-18T21:18:34","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T02:18:34","slug":"former-conjoined-twin-gives-birth-daughter-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/former-conjoined-twin-gives-birth-daughter-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Former conjoined twin gives birth to daughter at same hospital that performed separation surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Twenty-one years ago, Charity Lincoln Gutierrez-Vazquez underwent surgery that successfully separated her from her conjoined twin, Kathleen, and opened up a lifetime of new possibilities for her that many had believed were impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of her biggest dreams became a reality on August 12 with the birth of her daughter, Alora, at the same hospital where she was born and endured the 31-hour surgery to separate her from her twin sister as babies. Gutierrez-Vazquez described giving birth to her daughter at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle as a \u201cfull circle moment.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like full circle since my mom had us here and everything,\u201d Gutierrez-Vazquez <\/span>told<\/span><\/a> PEOPLE<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I think about this hospital’s history in my family, it makes me thankful for hospitals and medical teams that take amazing care of their patients and families,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n

TODAY<\/span> reports<\/span><\/a> that Gutierrez-Vazquez and her twin sister Kathleen were born attached from breastbone to pelvis, each with one leg and another fused leg. They were separated in an extremely risky and complex surgery in 2000 at seven month of age by a team of 30 doctors, nurses, and support staff. Their journey made national headlines and was captured by <\/span>Dateline<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Rare conjoined twins successfully separated: \u2018It\u2019s all in God\u2019s hands\u2019<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. John Waldhausen, who performed the surgery, also assisted Gutierrez-Vazquez with her pregnancy, referring her to his colleague, Dr. Edith Cheng, to oversee the pregnancy and delivery. Alora was born at nearly 34 weeks via C-section. She spent some time in the NICU for supplemental oxygen, but otherwise mom and baby were healthy.<\/span><\/p>\n