A mum and dad have welcomed 'miracle' conjoined twins who are one in just 2.5million.
Baby girls Annabelle and Isabelle Bateson were born safely just eight weeks ago to proud parents Hannah and Dan from County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Appearing on ITV's This Morning on Wednesday, the couple chatted to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby about the 'strange first pregnancy'.
The pair, who have been together for 14 years and married for six, sought treatment after spending years trying to start a family, Belfast Live reports.
Their twin daughters arrived attached from the chest to the pelvis and share a bladder, bowel and a fused leg - but have separate hearts.
Mum Hannah explained: "It was a very long journey but absolutely worth it. We tried for quite a few years to have [a baby], I was very overweight as well which didn't help so we couldn't get any treatment until I lost weight, which I did.
"As soon as we started treatment, our first cycle, we conceived the girls."
She added: “We went for an early scan and there was one heartbeat, and then we got the big shock that it was twins and that we had to see the consultant at the local hospital. Then as we saw another scan it dawned on us and I said, ‘are they conjoined?’, and he said ‘yes, I think they are’."
Hannah continued: “It was the most strange first pregnancy. We felt in limbo...
"We hoped for the best. They were so determined and the fact we got to 35 weeks in itself was a miracle. We were preparing for the worst case [scenario] or very sick babies, but surprisingly, the girls were born so well. Once we heard those cries in delivery it just changed the whole tone. We weren’t prepared for it to go so well.
“I think a lot of it will only be discovered during surgery, we just have to have faith. But they’ve fought so hard to be here so far that it will go well, we just have to have that faith..."
She explained how "they are very determined wee girls".
"It’ll be very long and different challenges for them both, and they will probably be going - for surgeries for most of their lives, but we’re hoping that their quality of life should be good.
"I think they will fly through it and it’ll be more challenging for us!
"We said before the girls were born, we were sitting in Great Ormond Street, and we said, 'It is a very scary place to be thinking you are going to have sick children, but if we are coming back here for the next 18 years, it means the girls have survived'.
"So our whole perspective has shifted," Hannah added.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV and ITV Hub
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