Two Faces Baby

Indian baby born with two faces doing well 1 month after birth -

An Indian baby born with two faces is doing well one month after her birth, doctors have said. Lali was born with two noses, two pairs of lips and two pairs of eyes - but only two ears. And while she may seem like an oddity to some, her proud parents think she is simply a God reincarnated.

The baby girl was born in the rural Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, 50km north east of New Delhi. Her parents, Vinod and Susham Singh from a village called Saini, said their little girl was "a gift from God". Excited villagers claim she is the reincarnation of the Indian God Ganesha and celebrated her arrival with clapping, cheering and offerings of gifts and money.

Lali was born with a rare condition called craniofacial duplication, where a single head has two faces. Doctors who delivered the baby said she appeared to be in good health, and is leading a normal life with no breathing difficulties.

They were initially uncertain whether the baby would have normal functions but say so far she is "doing well" and eating from both of her two mouths. She also opens and shuts all four eyes at the same time.

The excitement surrounding her arrival comes two years after the birth of another little girl, from the poverty stricken region of Bihar, who was born attached to her headless twin.

In a 40 hour operation, doctors successfully removed the lifeless body from Lakshmi Tatma, who was hailed as a reincarnation of Vishnu.

The extraordinary eight-limbed baby was born on the day devoted to the celebration of the four-armed Hindu deity Vishnu. Since the operation Lakshmi has successfully taken her first steps. Her mother Poonam Tatma said she believed her daughter was "a miracle".