NEW MOTHER Bongekile Simelane could not have wished for a better gift for her 20th birthday on Thursday.
She gets a double blessing as her conjoined twin girls, Uwenzile and Uyihlelile Shilongonyane, born 36 weeks prematurely by caesarian section on January 2, were successfully separated in a six-hour operation at the Netcare Unitas Hospital in Centurion last Saturday.
Their surgery was a first for the Tshwane health facility.
They're only the second pair of conjoined twins that doctors Mariza de Villiers and Paul Stevens have separated.
Simelane and her husband, the babies’ father, Mbongeni Shilongonyane, hail from Big Bend, a sugar plantation town in the east of Swaziland.
The Sunday Independent reported last week that Bongekile was unaware that she was carrying twins, for the second time, until after her seventh month of pregnancy.
“I was not happy to hear that I was expecting twins. However, once they were born everything changed,” she said. They came in at a combined weight of 4.21kg.
De Villiers and Stevens said it had been a busy week since the operation. “When we first heard about the twins, we got very excited, feeling that we might actually be in a position to make a difference.
"Sadly, there are times when there is very little one can do, as surgery of this nature can be extremely complex and it was therefore most rewarding for us that the procedure was successful,” said De Villiers.
“Dr Stevens and I were involved with all the arrangements and setting up the team from the start. We had done this before and it was therefore not at all daunting as we knew exactly what to do.”
“At the moment we see the twins at least once a day to check on their recovery. We are no longer involved with the treatment decisions as we have passed the baton of care to their paediatrician, Dr Marleen Engelbrecht.”
As could be expected with such a delicate operation, the tiny tots are a hit with the whole medical team.
“The nursing sisters are doing a wonderful job with the nursing care. Their training and skill really came to the fore,” said De Villiers.
As things stand, the twins are in a stable condition in the paediatric intensive care unit at the hospital.
Engelbrecht says she is gratified with the progress the twins have made since their surgery.
“Uwenzile and Uyihlelile are no longer being fed intravenously and their bodily functions are all working healthily.”
Engelbrecht pointed out that the operation was a major one for the two tiny babies and they were still being ventilated and closely monitored.
She also echoed the views of her colleagues that the nursing care was of paramount importance and the staff had really come through for the twins: “They have embraced the family and have, as always, gone well beyond the call of duty in caring for their young charges.
"We are all looking forward to the twins getting to a stage where their doting parents can hold them.”
Both Bongekile and her husband are happy and relieved that the operation has been successfully completed and that their precious twins are recovering well.
All care is being taken to ensure that they only be released to the anxious parents and well-wishers once the coast is clear for them, healthwise.
Dr de Villiers says the twins are moving forward in their recovery process every day. “However, it is not a quick process. Right now the entire team is looking forward to the day when we can remove their ventilators.”
With the “baby steps” that each day demands, little victories like the smile on the mother's face each time she visits the twins point to progress.
The medical team has not failed to notice that “Bongekile was deeply concerned for her babies and also missed her husband, Mbongeni, prior to his arrival in South Africa”.
“When she saw Mbongeni on Friday night last week her entire face lit up. We are hoping that Bongekile will be able to hold her babies by the time she turns 20 on February 2.”
Funding towards the cost of the operation was made possible by the Swazi government's Phalala Fund.
Dr Tony de Coito, managing director of Healthshare Health Solutions, which administers the fund for the Swaziland Ministry of Health, said they were delighted that the procedure to separate Uwenzile and Uyihlelile had gone well.
“We're thrilled the twins are making good progress, but having been born prematurely and undergone major surgery, they still have a long road to go to full recovery. We're pleased we were able to assist the family and find them such outstanding medical care.”
He added. “I would like to thank the doctors, nursing and support staff who were involved in the operation and in the follow-up treatment and care of the babies.”
Netcare Unitas Hospital’s general manager, Robert Jordaan, said the hospital would update the public once the twins were transferred to the general paediatric ward.
There’s no doubt well-wishers would also like to share in the Swazi couple’s double delight.