Two new parents have spoken of their surprise after they welcomed conjoined twins to the world, vowing to 'take care' of the new arrivals.
Jaswant Singh Ahirwar, 25, and his wife Babita Ahirwar, 21, were thrilled at the prospect of their first children.
But while the couple were expecting twins, they were not expecting their children would be born with two heads sharing one body.
Jaswant said: "My wife fainted after she saw the baby. We are shocked. It is unbelievable. Everyone is shocked to see them. We cannot believe our child has two heads.
"We were told after ultrasound that we are going to have twins. We were very happy to have two kids but it is one baby with two heads."
The twins, who have separate heads but share the same internal organs, are under observation around the clock.
Dr Surendra Sonkar, child specialist at the district hospital, said the children would be referred to an advanced hospital for further treatment.
She said: "They are a case of conjoined twins. We are taking care of [the babies] and will take the opinion of expert doctors in Bhopal and Delhi, who had earlier done the operation of such kids."
Doctors said it was a critical operation, with Dr Pratibha Oswal saying: "This is the first child of the woman, who was married one and a half years ago.
"She had come to the hospital on the 35th week of the pregnancy and during the ultrasound we found she was carrying conjoined twins."
Jaswant added: "This is my baby and I will raise him as he is. I am yet to hold him in my hands. People are saying many things but he is my baby and I will take him home.
"I do not have money for operation and if the government help me, I will get him to better hospitals. As long as he is alive, I will love him and take care of him."
Last year surgeons in India made headlines after successfully separating three-day-old conjoined twins.
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The baby girls were joined at the tummy and had a combined weight of just 7lbs. During a five-hour operation, which took place on 6 December 2018, the doctors anaesthetised both of the baby girls at the same time, before going on to separate their breastbones and livers.
The babies' parents had been understandably anxious about separating them, but thankfully the team at S. S. Hospital in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, had been able to convince them it would be for the best.
Featured Image Credit: CatersTopics: World News, Twins, Health, India