Mom Forced to Hide Twins under Blanket in Stroller Now Flaunts Their Beauty to the World

Chelsea Torres and her husband’s lives were forever changed when they went for an ultrasound and found two heartbeats. However, their happy moment didn’t last long when their doctor delivered heartbreaking news.

Chelsea Torres, from Blackfoot, Idaho was shocked when her doctor delivered news she never wanted to hear. However, it was only at her 10-week scan that she grasped the severity of the situation.

The news left Torres and her husband with an almost impossible decision about the lives of their twins. The couple banded together and made the decision they felt was best for their children and their family.

While Torres and her husband were delighted that they were going to have two beautiful babies, their excitement was quelled when they learned that their twins had a birth defect that would affect them for the rest of their lives.

In June 2016, Torres learned she was pregnant, and shortly after, she learned she was expecting twins. However, when she went for one scan, doctors said the twins were joined at the pelvis.

Having conjoined twins was not something Torres ever expected and admitted that it took her and her husband three days to fully accept the news. In fact, Torres thought it may have been a mistake and the twins were just close in the womb.

It was only when her doctor asked her if she was cramping or bleeding that the reality of her situation sunk in. “I knew something was wrong,” she then said. Torres and her husband then had to decide whether or not they would terminate the pregnancy.

Doctors said it would be a good option to terminate the pregnancy because carrying the twins to term might result in poor health for both Torres and her twins. However, the couple decided they would be keeping the babies and even named them Callie and Carter.

Torres Felt She Had to Hide Her Children

After Callie and Carter were born, Torres faced a new challenge—protecting her twins from the stares of the public. She admitted:

“When they were babies, it was hard for me. People would stare and take pictures. I actually ended up smashing someone’s phone.”

Torres confessed she would hide her twins under a blanket in a stroller because it felt easier than dealing with people staring at them or trying to take photos of them without her permission. She said: "It was just easier to hide them."

Yet there have been many positive changes since the days when Torres thought she had to hide her children from the world. Callie and Carter are now six years old, and Torres shows them off more than ever.

Torres says she shares photos of her kindergarteners because she wants to raise awareness about the differences children can have. She also wants her children not to feel like having a shared body is something bad.

Callie and Carter are connected from the sternum down. The twins have their own hearts and stomachs, yet they share an intestinal tract and a bladder. Each one of them controls one leg on either side.

When Callie and Carter were born, they were a set of the luckiest conjoined twins because they did not suffer many health complications. Talking about their birth, Torres said:

"Carter needed oxygen for two hours, but that was it. The only reason they spent five weeks in the hospital is because we were waiting on a special car seat to arrive."

The couple needed to decide whether or not they would put their twins through separation surgery. The surgery can be dangerous and the twins would be left with a completely new challenge to face.

Torres Won't Separate Her Daughters

At this point, Torres and her husband have decided not to do separation surgery, explaining that the 24-hour operation is “extremely risky” and because they don’t have health issues, there is no need to do it right now.

Doctors recommended the couple put their twins through the surgery when they were no older than four because they would not remember the pain. The twins are older now, and Torres said neither of them has ever expressed a desire to be separated from the other. She says the twins are confused whenever someone asks them if they want to be separated.

Dr. Steven Stylianos, a chief surgeon at the New York Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, confirmed that conjoined twins can live out an average lifespan and would usually go together after one of them suffers from an illness deemed incurable.

Although Torres has assured people that the girls don’t want to be separated, she has often been branded “selfish” for her decision to keep them conjoined. Yet Torres says she fears the health complications too much and since her girls are happy and healthy, she doesn’t want to change anything.

The girls don’t know another way of life besides being conjoined and don’t understand why anyone would want them to be separated as they love being so close to one another at all times. When they need a break from one another, one will use headphones and their tablet to watch TV.

Torres says her girls could not be more different. While one loves girly things like lipgloss, the other isn’t too phased by it.

Torres revealed the most challenging part of having conjoined twins is clothing. She has to buy two of everything and then cut them apart and sew them back together in the way it would fit her daughters.

Yet Torres says there are many positives, like the fact that her girls love each other so much that they know exactly how to comfort one another when they feel down or anxious. They also love school and learning. Torres says the girls are best friends and she wouldn’t want to risk losing that.

While there are people who criticize Torres, there are those who completely support the family. Here are some of what they had to say:

“Show them off they are beautiful.”

- (Rena Stevens) April 4, 2023

“THEY ARE GORGEOUS”

- (Judy Hansen) April 4, 2023

“Cute and beautiful”

- (Grace Maria Williams) April 4, 2023

“Beautiful girls.”

-(Claire Ababssi) February 7, 2022

Another parent who had to face a difficult decision in regard to his conjoined twins did what was right for him and his family. Read his story here.