Elysse Mata was 19 weeks pregnant when an ultrasound revealed her twin girls were going to be conjoined.

"I was just like, did you just say two heads?  And he said yes, you are pregnant with twins, but we suspect they might be conjoined.  And my heart just sank," Mata said.

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Babies that are born conjoined "fuse" together in utero. Conjoined twins share a single common placenta, chorian and amniotic sac.

These births are rare, with an occurrence ranging from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births.

Half of conjoined twins are stillborn and the majority of this condition occurs between female twins.

Although unsure what lies ahead or if her babies are even going to live, Mata, her husband John and son Azariah, moved to Houston to seek help for her and the twins at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women.

On April 11, her twin girls Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith were born, joined at the abdomen and the chest. The twins share a diaphragm, a pericardial sack surrounding the heart, a liver and intestines.

But despite the complications, what was most important to the Mata family was that the twins were alive.

Mata said that although the twins share some vital organs, their personalities are very different. While Hope is a lot more active and feisty, Faith is more mellow and quiet. Nevertheless, Mata gushed that "they're both very sweet."

Surgeons plan to operate on the girls when they turn eight months. The surgery makes Elysse nervous but she's also looking forward to it.

Mata stated she looks forward to holding the babies individually and bringing them home. She looks forward to watching her girls live happy and healthy lives.