Medical miracle? Conjoined twins separated in Memphis

Joshua and Jacob Spates aren't quite as close as they used to be, now that the conjoined twins have been surgically separated at a Memphis hospital. The boys - separated in a grueling, 13-hour operation on August 29 - aren't out of the woods yet. But they've already beaten the odds. Conjoined twins account for only about one in 200,000 live births, and the vast majority of conjoined twins who survive long enough to be separated are girls.

Keep clicking to have a look at what some are calling miracle babies...

Nurses in Le Bonheur's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit move Joshua and Jacob from their bed to their mother's lap. The NICU cared for the boys for seven months before surgery, carefully adapting diapers, beds, etc.

Spates comforts her newborn twins, Joshua (left) and Jacob (right). The twins were transferred to Le Bonheur's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit seven hours after they were delivered at a nearby hospital.

Before delivery, the boys' mother, Adrienne Spates, learns more about how her conjoined twins are positioned in her womb, using dolls that are sewn together. Spates made weekly visits to Le Bonheur's Fetal Center during the last months of her pregnancy.

Joshua, with his brother, Jacob in the background, at 10 weeks of age.

Physical therapist Constance Hines works with the Spates twins to ensure they meet developmental milestones. The boys received physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Joshua works on reaching and grabbing objects during his therapy session.

Joshua (left) and Jacob (right) sit in a swing in their NICU room during a therapy session. The swing allowed the 4-month-old boys to get out of their beds and play during their long stay at the hospital.

Jacob and Joshua sleep while surgeons begin the process of expanding skin tissue for each of the twins. Surgeons inserted 'expanders' on July 26, and created extra skin tissue needed for the separation surgery.

Special tissue expander balloons are inspected before surgeons insert them in Joshua and Jacob. The expanders helped create extra skin tissue needed for separation.

Plastic surgical fellow Sonia Alverez inserts tissue expanders in each of the Spates twins. After the July 26 surgery, the expanders were slowly filled with fluid a few times a week to create extra skin tissue.

Spates holds her 7-month-old sons, Jacob (left) and Joshua (right) in their room at Le Bonheur.

Nurses care for the twins the day before separation surgery.

Jacob (left) and Joshua (right) play with their mother the day before their separation surgery.

The surgical team arrives to transport the boys to the Operating Room at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29.

Nurse Anesthetist Gordon Corder comforts Adrienne Spates as he takes her twins back to surgery.

Anesthesiologists Rao Paidpalli, left, and Joel Saltzman, center, transfer the boys onto the operating table, in preparation for their surgery.

Joshua, Baby A, and Jacob, Baby B, are marked with letters "A" and "B" to eliminate confusion during the surgery. Surgical teams were divided into Team A and Team B during the separation.

The 34-person team prepares to position and sedate the twins for surgery.

Jacob wears a red headband to signify to the surgical team that he is Baby B. Members of Jacob's team also wore red headbands.

The surgical team carefully positions the boys before the separation begins. By surgery date, the tissue expanders placed in their backs had grown to create an optimal amount of extra skin for separation.

Surgeon William Warner evaluates the boys closely.

Nurses and physicians move Joshua Spates to a bed after his surgery is complete around 8 p.m. on Aug. 29. Joshua and Jacob were moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit from the operating room.

Spates comforts her son, Jacob, shortly after he returns from surgery.

Fellow Ben Gblulie checks sutures on Jacob Spates' back one day after surgery.