Baby Boy Born With His Own Twin Brother Inside His Stomach

A baby born near Mumbai, India, was born with his own half-formed twin brother inside his stomach Google Maps

A baby born near Mumbai, India, was born with his own half-formed twin brother inside his stomach.

The deceased twin—which was nearly 3 inches in length and had formed in the other baby’s abdomen—had a brain, arm, and legs, according to the India Times.

Dr. Neena Nichlani, who delivered the twins, said the case is rare, describing it as a “foetus in foetu” pregnancy. Less than 200 of these cases have been reported around the world.

“Following the delivery, however, the baby was shifted to the neo-natal ICU, as it was continuously vomiting and not responding to medicine,” Dr. Nichlani of Bilal Hospital said, adding that the attached male foetus to the full-grown baby couldn’t be detected and it only appeared as a cyst in scans of the pregnant 19-year-old.

She said the mother and child are quite lucky.

“It is a case of monozygotic twin pregnancy sharing single placenta, where one fetus wraps itself around and envelops the other and robs the host of its nutrition.” Nichlani was quoted by The Metro as saying. But, she added, “sometimes, it is a small mass, like in this case, and sometimes, depending on the size of the foetuses, none survive.”

‘It can be implanted in skull, abdomen or tail bone of the host,” Dr. Nichlani said.

“The parasitic baby was lying behind the stomach deriving its nutrition from the host,” she continued. “The parasitic baby has been sent for further testing, reports are awaited.”

The mother and child are doing fine now, according to doctors. The mother will be able to start feeding the baby soon.