Shocking x-ray shows the complicated procedure facing doctors who successfully separated conjoined twin girls as they made their debut just days before Christmas

Allison and Amelia Tucker born joined at the lower chest and abdomen

Girls are expected to live 'full, healthy and independent lives'

Mother Shellie: 'These girls are going to do big things in life!'



The incredible X-ray of conjoined twin girls Allison June and Amelia Lee Tucker shows how complicated a surgery the team of doctors had in front of them when they went into the seven-hour surgery.



The girls were nine-months-old and joined at the chest when they went in, today they made their public debut, showing how the operation went flawlessly.



New York natives Allison June, Amelia Lee, and their parents were introduced at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

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Bond: An x-ray shows the conjoined twins Allison June and Amelia Lee Tucker before surgeons at CHOP separated the Tucker girls during a seven-hour operation in November of 2012

Separated: The twins shared a chest wall, diaphragm, pericardium and liver but are now expected to live 'full, healthy and independent lives'

Ho ho ho: The twins celebrate their first Christmas by getting their picture taken with Santa after their successful surgery

Pediatric surgeon Dr Holly Hedrick says Allison is the smaller but tougher twin. Amelia is the larger twin but she's still in intensive care for now.



Surgeons separated the Tucker girls during a seven-hour operation in November.

The infants had been joined at the lower chest and abdomen. They shared a chest wall, diaphragm, pericardium and liver but are expected to live 'full, healthy and independent lives'.

Bundles of joy: Because the twins didn¿t share many internal organs, their prognosis is good that they will live normal lives Thriving: The Hospital held a press conference this morning to highlight this new phase in the lives of both infants Before and after: The surgery was the 21st separation of conjoined twins performed at the hospital. The procedure involved about 40 medical staff members

Because they didn't share a lot of internal organs, the prognosis for the twins is very positive.

The surgery was the 21st separation of conjoined twins performed at the hospital. The procedure involved about 40 medical staff members.

The twins’ mother, Shellie Tucker, has kept a blog documenting her daughters’ progress, and just hours after the surgery was completed, she revealed her joy at the successful operation.

'Today it is a time to celebrate, to be thankful, to appreciate, to praise, and to enjoy this weight lifted off our shoulders,' she wrote.

Getting ready! Allison and Amelia Tucker, who were joined at the chest and abdomen, were successfully separated in a seven-hour operation at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia last month Success! A photograph from the operating room shows two teams after the girls were separated Happy family: Pediatric surgeon Dr Holly Hedrick says Allison is the smaller but tougher twin. Amelia is the larger twin but she's still in intensive care for now Success: The Hospital held a press conference this morning to highlight this new phase in the lives of both infants 'The surgery went better than expected. The girls did amazing. The surgeons were able to separate the girls and close them with the skin they grew over the last five months.' She added: ' After the girls left us yesterday I had a sense of calm and strength come over me. These girls are going to do big things in life!'

Today she said: 'Greg and I are thrilled that our daughters have been given this remarkable gift by the amazing team from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 'We are so grateful for the support and encouragement that the medical team, our families and our friends have given us during this long journey.'

Relief: Shellie Tucker, pictured with Allison and Amelia, expressed her joy on her blog after the operation

Together: The Tucker family only learned something was wrong at the 20-week ultrasound, left

VIDEO See the twins before & during their amazing surgery Shellie had previously written of the family's struggles on the blog. She wrote how she married her husband, Greg Tucker, in 2009, and had issues getting pregnant. After having their first son, Owen, she wrote: 'Our chances of having a second baby was very slim. We tried month after month with no success.' She wrote that after fertility treatment, she and her husband were overjoyed to find out they were pregnant again. Yet, showing two heads, their 20-week ultrasound have the first sign there was something wrong. 'My husband and I were in complete shock (we still are),' Shellie wrote. 'We couldn’t believe it.' In March, she underwent an emergency C-section and gave birth to her daughters. At work: Surgeons separate the twin girls, who shared a chest wall, diaphragm, and liver, on November 8

Team work: As many as 20 staff worked on the operation, the 21st of its kind at the hospital

VIDEO Surgeon explains how twins were separated...

In her last post before the surgery, she asked for prayers, and spoke of her exhaustion.

'We have done all a parent can do,' she wrote. 'At this point, it's in the surgeons’ hands.We just have to hold our breath and hope and pray God listens to our thousands of supporters. We will be okay. We will be strong.'

But the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said the girls were 'excellent candidates for separation'.

Conjoined twins occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births, and most are stillborn. About three-quarters of such twins are female and are joined at least partially in the chest, sharing organs.

Family: Shellie married Greg Tucker, who works in the Army, in 2009

Sibling rivalry: The girls have an older brother, Owen

Chances of successful surgery and survival are greater if the twins have separate sets of organs, the hospital said.

A year ago, conjoined 20-month-old twins from the Dominican Republic were separated at a Virginia hospital.

Maria and Teresa Tapia were attached at the lower chest, and surgical teams successfully divided their liver, pancreas and other shared organ systems and reconstructed their abdominal walls.