On Jan. 23, 2023, JamieLynn and AmieLynn made history as the first conjoined twins to be surgically separated at Cook Children’s. The girls were conjoined at the chest and shared a liver. Their 11-hour surgery involving a team of 25 medical professionals, including six surgeons, made headlines around the world. The girls were being cared for at Cook Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) since birth. Last week, AmieLynn was discharged and both girls are living with their family in Fort Worth.

Their parents, James and Amanda, attended the meeting Tuesday, all smiles as they held Jamie and Amie in their arms.

The proclamations read:

Proclamation - JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley Day

Whereas, when parents James Finley and Amanda Arciniega of Saginaw found out they were expecting twins, they were surprised; then a short time later that surprise turned into worry when they learned their babies were conjoined; and

Whereas, while Mother-to-Be, Amanda, enjoyed an easy and uncomplicated pregnancy, there were many hours spent meeting with specialists from across the state to determine who was best to deliver the Finley Twins and the best hospital to care for them after birth; both of which ended up being right up the road and

Whereas, on October 3, 2022, at 34 weeks gestation JamieLynn and AmieLynn were delivered via C-section at Texas Health Fort Worth. After a monthlong stay at the Texas Health NICU, the girls were transferred to Cook Children’s Medical Center NICU; and 

Whereas, after months of planning and collaboration, which included building the medical team, troubleshooting potential issues and rehearsing the carefully choreographed surgical production; the medical team determined when the girls reached 4 months old, it was right time to separate them; and

Whereas, on January 23, 2023, after an 11-hour surgery, with a team of 25 medical professionals, including 6 surgeons, Cook Children’s Medical Center successfully performed its first-ever separation surgery on 16-week-old conjoined twins, JamieLynn and AmieLynn.

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that we, the Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, do hereby proclaim January 23, 2023, as JamieLynn and AmieLynn Finley Day in honor of their successful separation surgery. 

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and caused the Seal of Tarrant County to be affixed this 18th day of April 2023.

Congratulatory Resolution - Cook Children's Medical Center

Whereas, located in the heart of Fort Worth’s Medical District, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital and Cook Children’s Medical Center share a long history of collaboration; and 

Whereas, both organizations have a close working relationship bonded through the common goal of putting family first while providing advanced medical treatments with heartfelt compassion to families in need throughout Tarrant County and across the State of Texas; and 

Whereas, the nationally recognized neonatologists, pediatricians, specialists, researchers, and clinicians of Cook Children’s Medical Center’s NICU are specially trained in the complexities of critically ill newborns and babies born prematurely; and 

Whereas, the Doctors, Nurses & Staff inside of Cook Children’s Medical Center & the Level IV NICU tirelessly work around the clock, every single day of the year to provide critical care for the most difficult and complex medical diagnosis, including the tiniest, micro preemies born as early as 23 weeks and weighing as little as one pound; and 

Whereas, on Monday, 23rd of January, a remarkable team of 25 medical professionals and 6 surgeons performed a groundbreaking 11-hour surgery to separate conjoined twin sisters, AmieLynn Rose Finley and JamieLynn Rae Finley of Fort Worth, Texas. 

Whereas, the incredible team assembled by Cook Children’s Medical Center and their collective expertise in treating the most difficult, rare and complex pediatric conditions, made this challenging procedure successful and the Finley family whole again; and 

Whereas, the citizens of Tarrant County recognize the critical need for the Neonatology Team at Cook’s Children’s Medical Center who are committed to the care and well-being of North Texas families; and 

Now therefore, be it resolved, that we, the Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, do hereby honor and congratulate the teams of nursing & medical professionals at Cook Children’s Medical Center and the NICU on their continued efforts in our community. In witness whereof, we have hereunder set our hands and caused the Seal of Tarrant County to be affixed this 18th day of April, 2023.

By Eline Wiggins

Formerly-conjoined twin AmieLynn Finley went home on Friday for the first time to join her twin sister JamieLynn, parents and the rest of her family.

In January, JamieLynn and AmieLynn made history as the first conjoined twins to be surgically separated at Cook Children’s. The girls were conjoined at the chest and shared a liver. Their 11-hour surgery involving a team of 25 medical professionals, including six surgeons, made headlines around the world.

Amie, the quiet twin compared to feisty JamieLynn, has made huge progress even though her journey has been more difficult. While JamieLynn went home on March 21, Amie stayed at the Cook Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to recover from a recent surgery to improve her chest incision and create more space for her heart, diaphragm and lungs.

On April 7, Amie left the hospital in a car seat with her parents, Amanda and James Finley, JamieLynn, two older siblings and cousin. The family shared hugs and tears with the girls’ care team as they loaded their stuff for the last time in their minivan. Today, the whole family is together, in their own home, at last.

“This is kind of the beginning again,” James said as he cradled JamieLynn. “Surgery was one beginning and now we’re going home to another beginning.”

“It’s definitely a weight lifted,” Amanda said. “I’m excited and happy, it’s a lot of emotions. We still have a long way to go.”

Both girls will have some work to do, including rehabilitation, to help them reach their full potential. When the twins were conjoined, Amie developed scoliosis as she had a natural inclination to lean back and pull away from JamieLynn. The girls’ care team hope they will grow up healthy, happy and independent young ladies with their amazing family.

“It is a blessing to watch the girls heal through a major operation, and see the various milestones such as being weaned off of their ventilators, then oxygen; watch as their intestines start to tolerate increasing feeds and then watch as they learn to feed orally,” said José Iglesias, M.D., FACS, Medical Director and Lead Surgeon at Cook Children’s.

“Both girls are so tough!” said Brianne Galvan, RN, the girls' nurse in the NICU. “They went through some pretty tough times but came out smiling in the end. It was amazing for me to see their resilience and to be a part of their story! I will miss their sweet faces and smiles tremendously!”

Amanda and James have spent a lot of time at the NICU since the girls were transferred there shortly after they were born in October. At their Fort Worth home, the girls will finally share the same room again.

“I’m so excited for the girls to be able to assimilate into their new home with their entire family 24 hours a day. My wish for them is that they get to experience all of the normal joys of family life that they haven’t been able to experience in the hospital,” said Neonatologist Fran Lynch, M.D. “These girls are truly remarkable and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in their lives moving forward.”

Conjoined twins are estimated to occur in only 1-in-200,000 live births. JamieLynn and AmieLynn are omphalopagus twins, meaning they were joined at the abdomen and shared one or more internal organs.

“With so many steps in their journey it reminds us how big and how great our Cook’s Children’s family is to help them achieve milestone after milestone,” Iglesias said. “I’m proud of the loving and attentive family and proud of an amazing team is probably the best summary I have.”

For those wishing to assist the Finley family in this new chapter of their lives, a fund has been created at EECU in Fort Worth. The family also has a baby registry at Walmart.

RELATED STORIES:

Formerly-Conjoined Twin JamieLynn Discharged from Cook Children's NICU, Sister AmieLynn Stays to Recover (checkupnewsroom.com)

‘We Did It’: Conjoined Twin Girls Separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center Make History (checkupnewsroom.com)

Q&A: Inside the Historic Conjoined Twin Separation Surgery with Jose Iglesias, M.D. (checkupnewsroom.com)

By Eline Wiggins

Five-month-old JamieLynn Finley is home in her own bed for the first time in her life. 

In January, JamieLynn and AmieLynn made history as the first conjoined twins to be surgically separated at Cook Children’s. The girls were conjoined at the chest and shared a liver. Their 11-hour surgery involving a team of 25 medical professionals, including six surgeons, made headlines around the world.

On Tuesday, March 21, Jamie was discharged from Cook Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), nearly two months to the day of her separation. She left the hospital in a car seat with her parents, Amanda and James Finley, and Jamie’s three older siblings. It is a big day for the Finley family.

“We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” said the girls’ doctor, Mary Frances Lynch, M.D., neonatologist at Cook Children’s.

While Jamie is starting her new chapter at home, Amie is staying in Cook Children’s NICU for at least a few more weeks. Amie’s journey has been more difficult and she is continuing to recover from a recent surgery that improved her chest incision and created more space for her heart, diaphragm and lungs.

“There were some moments that were scary,” James said.

The twins will be away from each other until Amie can head home, which is expected to happen within a month or so. Jamie has recovered so well since the separation surgery, she’s currently bouncing and babbling to anyone who will listen. She’s going home with a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) to help with her feeding and continued growth. However, by all indications, she’s on her way to being a healthy and happy child.

“We’re excited that we get to get her home,” James said. “We’ll have some good bonding time, but at the same time, Amie is still up there so it’s kind of a double-edged sword. We’re happy Jamie is coming home, but they’re not going to be together for a bit.”

On Tuesday morning, Jamie and Amie laid side-by-side and took a ride in their red wagon as their mom Amanda pulled them down the NICU hallways.

“Hi, sugar pudding,” James smiled and said to the girls. 

The girls are growing up fast and hitting their milestones. Jamie is about to start rolling over, Amanda said. Amie says “hello” and both girls do their best to talk.

Amanda joked that Jamie will miss all the attention she gets from the nurses and health care workers in the NICU.

At home, Amanda is excited to hold the girls in their new rocking chair. The girls have many new friends waiting to meet them too, including Amanda and James’ neighbors.

Between their three older siblings, family and neighbors, the girls will be showered with lots of love inside their own home and in their new nursery.

“Everybody is ready to see them,” James said.

RELATED STORIES:

‘We Did It’: Conjoined Twin Girls Separated at Cook Children’s Medical Center Make History (checkupnewsroom.com)

Q&A: Inside the Historic Conjoined Twin Separation Surgery with Jose Iglesias, M.D. (checkupnewsroom.com)

The Surgical Team that Made History at Cook Children's (checkupnewsroom.com)

When searching for a pediatrician, I realized how much I never considered before becoming pregnant with twins.

There were several things I looked for when searching for a pediatrician. I wanted someone with a great bedside manner who would be engaging and personable with the twins. It was also very important that the doctor’s office would be able to schedule back-to-back well child visits so I wouldn’t have to bring the girls up on separate days or separate times.

I haven’t even had the girls yet but trust me, you don’t want to be lugging both babies up to the doctor’s office at different times, especially in those first six months when you see your pediatrician so frequently!

It was important to me that my pediatrician had experience with twins, since there are certain situations and issues that can arise from having multiples. Ramon Kinloch, M.D., a pediatrician at Cook Children’s Forest Park office, met all of those qualifications for me and we are so excited to have him as the girls’ pediatrician.

“When looking for a pediatrician, I think it is extremely important that the doctor is patient. This is especially true for new parents and parents of multiples,” Dr. Kinloch said. “There may be a lot of questions or concerns that you have, and sometimes feel that they are either too silly or bothersome to ask. However, a great pediatrician is understanding and willing to listen to all of your concerns to ensure that you are comfortable taking care of your little one(s).”

I’ve had so many questions and as I draw closer to the birth of our twins, I still have so many more that will be answered over the next few days, months and years to come.

Being pregnant is such an exciting, scary, overwhelming, exhausting and beautiful journey but being pregnant with twins comes with a lot of special circumstances. I wanted to share my story of how I became pregnant, my twin pregnancy journey up until now and also some of the differences I’ve noticed between a singleton pregnancy and a multiples. Please keep in my mind that this is just my experience. Every woman and every pregnancy is so different, including twin pregnancies. I hope that by sharing my story, those of you who are pregnant with twins will feel more prepared for what’s to come. I know when I first found out I was pregnant with twins I scoured the Internet reading so many articles about what to expect and it was comforting, albeit sometimes a little terrifying.

‘A Threatened Miscarriage’

The first trimester of my twin pregnancy was filled with a lot of scary and traumatizing moments. I found out fairly early on that I was RH negative (read more about that here), had a septate uterus, which upped my chances of a miscarriage and worst of all I developed a subchorionic hemorrhage.

When I was 8 weeks and 4 days, I woke up to blood gushing out me in bed. My husband had already left for the day, and I immediately jumped up and ran to the bathroom. It felt like a nightmare and I remember chanting, “No, no, no, no, please no” as I struggled to call my husband and my mom. After attempting to calm down, I called my doctor’s office and they told me to come in immediately and they would do an ultrasound to check on the babies.

Thankfully, they were fine and doing well with strong heartbeats, which was such a relief. My doctor told me bleeding in the first trimester is fairly common and I had what she referred to as a “threatened miscarriage.” She told me to go home and take it easy for the next 2-3 days and that there was really nothing I could do to either help or hurt the situation. I remember feeling numb and helpless, completely out of control within my own body. I was convinced that I had miscarried and we were going to lose our babies that we had wanted for so long.

Everything was fine for a few weeks until I woke up around 11 weeks to another bleed. Cue the panic and fear all over again, the crying phone calls to my mom and my doctor. I went in for an ultrasound and again the babies were fine. This time, my doctor told me I had what looked like a subchorionic hemorrhage in my uterus.

According to heathline.com, “Subchorionic bleeding occurs when the placenta detaches from the original site of implantation. This is called a subchorionic hemorrhage or hematoma. It affects the chorionic membranes. These lift apart and form another sac between the placenta and the uterus. The movement and resulting clots are what cause this type of bleeding.” While this sounded scary, it helped to finally have a name for what was happening to me. My doctor told me again to go home, stay off my feet and take it easy. Ultimately, if my body decided to reject the pregnancies there was little I could do about it. That was both helpful and frustrating as you can imagine.

Unfortunately only four days later I would have a bleed so bad that I ended up in the ER on Mother’s Day. It was the worst night of my entire life, sitting in a hospital bed for five hours with my family. No one could tell us anything and I was certain this time that I had lost the babies because of the massive amount of blood. By some miracle, the twins were alive and well, both with strong heartbeats. They were already little fighters and I’m still in awe of how strong they are! Thankfully, that was my last bleed and by the time I was about 17 weeks pregnant my hemorrhage had all but disappeared. During that time I researched, read articles and watched videos about subchorionic hemorrhages and how many women experienced them during their pregnancies. I am so grateful everything turned out okay in my case and that my babies are still growing inside me today.

Relatively Smooth Sailing

After that, everything was relatively smooth sailing despite the typical pregnancy symptoms. I experienced severe nausea and exhaustion from weeks 8-16, so much so that I had to be put on anti-nausea medicine just to be able to come into work. I remember coming home from the office and collapsing on the couch, unable to do anything but sleep. I survived off soup and bread; I rarely was hungry but knew I needed to eat to help my stomach. The medicine helped but also made me even more tired than I already was. My doctor told me this was normal especially with multiples as I had such a large amount of hormones in my body.

I know not everyone suffers from morning sickness and exhaustion, but I have heard from many other twin moms that they too suffered from this their first trimester. Just know for most women, it will get better! By week 14 I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and by week 16 my nausea and exhaustion had noticeably decreased. Unfortunately, as soon as I got over those symptoms my body decided to gift me with pregnancy headaches! In some ways this was worse than the nausea because I really couldn’t take anything but Tylenol, which rarely helped. I was back to coming home from work and falling asleep, this time to escape the constant pounding in my head. After about four weeks of this, I finally linked it to my blood sugar being low, and became vigilant about eating every couple of hours and making sure I was getting enough food in my stomach at meal times.

Now that I’m 26 weeks pregnant, most of my symptoms have turned to just aches and pains as my body grows to accommodate two babies! For most women pregnant with one baby, this is referred to as the “honeymoon trimester.” Your first trimester nausea is over, but you aren’t physically uncomfortable yet; many women with singleton pregnancies say they feel the most like themselves during the second trimester. For me, by about 22 weeks I started to experience round ligament pain in my legs and hips and noticed that my sleep was getting worse. I started having to get up in the night to go to the bathroom, and rolling over in bed became a process. Moving from a seated or reclined position started to require effort and by the end of each day I was feeling sore and achy. To help with this, I try to take a warm bath with Epsom salts and have generally taken it easy my entire pregnancy. I don’t work out and since I have a desk job I don’t have to do too much walking around. I notice when I do, my body will let me know I overdid it the next day, big time. With a multiples pregnancy it is so important not to push yourself or overdo it. Of course, you know your body and its limits better than anyone but do not feel bad about taking it easy- this is such a short phase in your life and the most important thing is making sure the babies are healthy and growing!

I know that being pregnant with twins, especially at the beginning, can seem daunting and overwhelming. It doesn’t help that even family and friends will tell you, “I just couldn’t imagine having twins I don’t know how you’re going to do it!” Don’t let anyone stress you out! I truly believe we are given twins for a reason. You will make it work and survive because that is the only option. While a twin pregnancy can be more complicated and intense than a singleton, focus on the fact that at the end of it you get to bring home two babies to love and care for and that no matter how scared you are, you will make it through! I hope my story helped some of you, whether you are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant with twins or are just curious about what a twin pregnancy is like. I would love to hear from you if you are a twin mom what your pregnancy was like and what your experience has been as a twin mom!

Much like Bowdy and Brock Shoff, Dr. Olvera's twin boys found themselves in a gut-wrenching situation after they were put down for a nap. They were 3 years old at the time and decided climbing on the tall dresser in their room would be more fun than sleeping.

"I had also laid down for a nap and heard a loud noise," said Dr. Olvera, pediatrician at Cook Children's Southwest Primary Care location. "When I ran in their room, one of the boys was trapped underneath the dresser."

She rushed the boys to her pediatrician's office, and luckily both were OK.

When she saw the story about the Utah incident on Checkup Newsroom, she posted the following message on Facebook:

Dr. Olvera's boys are 12 years old now, and the big brothers to twin sisters.    

Since 2009, Cook Children's has seen 137 furniture-related injuries. One child even died in 2014 as a result of furniture tip-over.

About the Source
Rebecca Olvera, M.D. is a pediatrician at Cook Children's Primary Care Location in Southwest Fort Worth. She has been recognized as a Mom-Approved Doctor by DFW/North Texas Child magazine in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Find out more about Dr. Olvera here.  

What they didn't do was make sure they had secured their furniture so it wouldn't tip over on their little boys. A home surveillance video shows Bowdy working for almost two minutes to free Brock Shoff in their home in Orem, Utah. 

The video has made the rounds nationally because the twins' parents want people to know it could happen to anyone.

"We were hesitant to post this video initially, Ricky Shoff, the twins' father told CNN, "but a lot of parents have probably made the same mistake that we made, (they) don't have their furniture secure or bolted to a wall."

Sharon Evans, RN, BSN, CPN trauma/injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s, hopes this serves as a reminder of the dangers of TV and furniture tip-overs, especially during this time of year.

"People are getting furniture for the holidays and TVs for the Super Bowl," Evans said. "If those aren't anchored, we have seen injuries and even death at Cook Children's due to these items being unanchored. Parents often times get the new TVs or furniture and then put the old ones in the bedrooms for the kids. Every piece of furniture in the house should be secured. 

Since 2009, Cook Children's has seen 137 furniture-related injuries. One child even died in 2014 as a result of furniture tip-over.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission says a child dies every two weeks in the United States from a TV, a piece of furniture, or a combination of the two tipping over in this country. And, a child is admitted to the emergency room every 24 minutes because of a tip-over.

“In the last decade, the number of children seen at our facility for injuries from dressers and television falls has steadily increased,” Evans said. “All the families that bring in children with these injuries say the same thing: ‘I didn’t think this would ever happen.’ Sadly, it does happen, and people need to be aware so they can prevent it.”

The Consumer Product Safety Comission provides these safety tips in any home where children live or visit:

Anchor furniture to the wall or the floor. 

1. Place TVs on sturdy, low bases. 
2. Anchor the furniture and the TV on top of it, and push the TV as far back on top of the furniture as possible.
3. Keep remote controls, toys, and other items that might be attractive to children off TV stands or furniture. 
4. Keep TV and/or cable cords out of reach of children. 
5. Make sure freestanding kitchen ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets. 
6. Supervise children in rooms where these safety tips have not been followed.

Learn more about the Anchor It! campaign to secure furniture and TVs here.

People tell me all the time that I am strong, but that’s only because they don’t know my twins. Born at 24 weeks, Houston and Quinn Villarreal each weighed 1 pound, 8 ounces and were 12 inches long.

Both of my little ones have gone through so much. At different times in their lives, they were given a 50/50 chance of survival, but they kept fighting. During their time at Cook Children’s they've had many blood transfusions, were on a high frequency jet ventilator for two months and intubated for three months.

Quinn was born not breathing and needed to be resuscitated. At 2 months old, she had patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) surgery at Cook Children’s to control the blood flow to her heart and lungs. On the day I’m writing this blog, Quinn had surgery to remove two cysts in her esophagus that were obstructing her airway.

At 4 days old, Houston had emergency surgery for a bowel perforation. At 2 months old, on the same day of Quinn's PDA surgery, Houston needed treatment after became septic and had bacteria in his blood. Within that same month, he needed surgery to re-attach his intestines and remove his ostomy bag. One month later Houston had another operation to repair two hernias.

But my kids are strong. Today Houston and Quinn are 5 months old. They are on 1/16th liter of oxygen, and eating almost all of their bottles. These little miracles have completely beaten all odds. They have been fighting for their lives from their very first moment. So when people say I'm strong, I say my strength is nothing compared to my little blessings. Strong is these AMAZING babies that came into this world and have already dominated it! Strong is Houston and Quinn.

I truly believe we could not have picked a better hospital to take care of our babies than Cook Children's. From day one, the focus has been on our babies and our entire family. Day in and day out, they made sure our stay at Cook Children’s was as comfortable as possible. We have had the most amazing nurses, doctors, surgeons, respiratory therapist, child life specialists and many more staff members that have impacted our stay. All of whom have said our babies have touched their lives. I don't think they know how much each and every one of them touched ours. This is an unbelievable unit, and we're honored to call them our little NICU family.