(CNN) Despite their new-found independence, the Bhutanese conjoined twins who were separated by doctors in Australia last week still want to be close to each other, nurses have told reporters.

15-month-old sisters Dawa and Nima Pelden flew nearly 6,000 miles for the life-changing operation. They were born joined at the stomach.

Bhutanese twins Dawa and Nima insist on being near each other despite being separated.

Nurse coordinator Kellie Smith, who works on the twins' ward at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, told reporters Thursday that the pair are never far from one another.

"We try and have them a little bit apart," Smith said, according to CNN affiliate Channel 7. "But they manage to sort of bum shuffle back together and have their legs intertwined always."

The nurse added that ward staff initially tried putting the twins in separate beds but "they didn't like that at all."

"They're in the one bed together and just happy playing with one another, and it's actually beautiful to see," Smith added.

"They like their mother close too. They're always looking for mum and she's never far away."

The 15-month-old twins flew nearly 6,000 mlies to Australia for the life-changing operation.

Girls have followed 'the path that we set out for them'

Lead pediatric surgeon Joe Crameri said the girls were doing well six days after the operation.

"The girls have followed largely the path that we set out for them," he said, CNN affiliate Channel 7 reported.

"Like any surgical pathway, there has been a few bumps in the road, and there are a few bumps we're still smoothing out -- but with all the resources we've got here at the Children's Hospital ... we're making good progress at the current time."

Lead pediatric surgeon Joe Crameri said the twins were getting back to normal life by eating again and starting to move around.

Crameri added that the sisters were "getting back to a more normal life."

"They're back to eating, and they're starting to move around and the areas that we've repaired on their tummy wall seems to be holding up with the strain quite nicely."

The delicate procedure, carried out November 9, took more than six hours and involved about 25 surgeons, nurses and anesthetists, according to CNN affiliate 9 News.

The twins were born via cesarean section last year and are believed to be Bhutan's first conjoined twins. As well as issues with mobility and comfort, the twins had recently been losing weight, which was a concern to doctors, Elizabeth Lodge, CEO of Melbourne-based nonprofit Children First Foundation, which funded the operation said last month.

The girls' operation was estimated to cost about $180,000 (250,000 Australian dollars), according to 9 News.

'Delightful to look after'

Nurse coordinator Smith said Nima and Dawa have been a delight to look after, and that their personalities were shining through.

Megan Collins, another nurse on the ward, agreed that the pair were in good spirits.

"They're loving interacting with the nursing staff," Collins said.

The operation was estimated to have cost around $180,000 (250,000 Australian dollars), which was raised by Children First Foundation.

"We're now blowing bubbles and doing high fives, they love it when we're watching the Wiggles -- they'll do little dance moves with their hands and what-not," Channel 7 reported Collins as saying during a press conference.

"It's really nice to see them separated. But they're still really happy about wanting to be close to one another."

Difficult surgery

Conjoined twins occur once every 200,000 live births, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. About 70% are female, and they are always identical twins.

Scientists believe that conjoined twins develop from a single fertilized egg that fails to separate completely as it divides.

"The success of surgery depends on where the twins are joined and how many and which organs are shared, as well as the experience and skill of the surgical team," according to the Mayo Clinic.

They were previously commonly referred to as "Siamese twins," a name that originated with Eng and Chang Bunker, conjoined twins who were born in Siam (now Thailand) in 1811. Never separated, they lived to the age of 63 and appeared in traveling exhibitions. Chang and Eng both married and fathered a total of 21 children between them.

Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Anias, left, and Jadon McDonald were born conjoined at the head, something only seen in 1 out of every 2.5 million live births. They were separated in a 27-hour surgery at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York in October. Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Nicole and Christian McDonald talk with Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the family waiting area on October 13 as a team worked to separate Jadon and Anias. "When we sent them off this morning, to me, I felt at peace with it and just ready to handle what comes after," Nicole said. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Dr. James Goodrich Goodrich, left, leads a surgical team as they prepared to separate the twins. "Failure is not an option," Goodrich told the team as they got started. Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart The twins' surgery was Goodrich's longest craniopagus surgery. It's meticulous, tricky and complex: A single cut too deep can lead to catastrophic bleeding. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Goodrich's team worked more than 16 hours just to separate the boys, and each continued surgery individually afterward. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Newly separated twins Anias, left, and Jadon in surgery at the hospital. Goodrich informed the family of the successful separation at about 3 a.m. October 14. "Well, we did it," he told them. When it was official, the room burst into spontaneous applause.

Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Jadon recovers in the pediatric intensive care unit shortly after the surgery. Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Anias returns to his room after his head dressing was changed. Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Jadon stretches his arms in his room within the hospital's pediatric intensive care unit. Anias rests in a nearby bed in the same room. Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Anias, left, stares at Jadon for the first time since the surgery that separated them. Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Nicole McDonald, right, and her mother, Chris Grosso, with Anias in mid-November. Anias had to have his skull cap removed due to infection, but doctors say they are still pleased with his recovery. Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Anias, left, and Jadon lie in a red wagon at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center on December 13 as they prepare for the next stage of their journey, two months after their surgery. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart The family was headed to the hospital's banquet hall on December 13, where surgical and pediatric intensive care staff members were gathered for a farewell party. Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Dr. Oren Tepper, the twins' lead plastic surgeon, holds a thank you gift from the McDonald family presented to him at the farewell party. Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Nicole McDonald holds Anias as his twin brother, Jadon, sleeps in the bed to the left. The twins' older brother, Aza, watches television at the hospital from one of the boys' beds shortly before they left for rehab. Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Jadon, left, and Anias McDonald look up at hospital staff as they leave their room at Montefiore Children's Hospital in New York. Their older brother, Aza, proudly sits at the front of the wagon. It was mid-December and they were headed to rehab. Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Nicole McDonald pushes a stroller with Anias as her husband Christian pushes Jadon down a hallway on June 14 at Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla, New York, where the boys have been rehabilitating. Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Anias plays with a toy while laying on a mat in his room at Blythedale Children's Hospital. Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Jadon eats small snacks and drinks from a sippy cup on his own, major progress since he first moved to rehab. Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Nicole McDonald plays with her son Anias as Christian McDonald holds Jadon on a playground outside Blythedale Children's Hospital. Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Nicole McDonald holds Jadon while looking over discharge information on September 1, as they prepare to leave the rehab facility and head home as a family for the first time. Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Nicole McDonald takes Anias into the family's new house for the first time with his older brother, Aza. Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Conjoined twins separated: New life, apart Christian McDonald holds his son Anias as Nicole McDonald checks on Jadon at home with the family dogs, Taz and Tyson. Hide Caption 24 of 24

While surgery to separate twins joined at the abdomen and other parts of their bodies can face complications, twins joined at the head are at a far greater risk.