Parents of Formerly Conjoined Twins 'Relieved' Their Boys Are Home After Over a Year in the Hospital

"You just got to think the man upstairs really is amazing," mom Shaneka Ruffin tells PEOPLE

• Shaneka and Tim Ruffin say they were filled with "so many emotions" after their sons were finally were released from the hospital on Oct. 8, over a year after they were born

• "It was a surreal moment," dad Tim tells PEOPLE

• The mom says she's now looking forward to being able to make memories together as a family of six
  

The parents of formerly conjoined twins say they're still in disbelief that their sons are home after spending more than a year in the hospital.

"It was exciting," Shaneka Ruffin tells PEOPLE just days after sons Amari and Javar went home on Tuesday, Oct. 8 — a day that she says was "filled with so many emotions."

Dad Tim, 33, chimes in, "The journey was a long ... so it was a surreal moment, and I just felt relieved and blessed."

Related: Dad of Formerly Conjoined Twins Hopes His Girls 'Stay Close': 'I Always Tell Them That'

The stay-at-home mom explains that the couple first learned their twins were conjoined when she was 12 weeks pregnant — and up until then, she thought she was only carrying one child

"[The doctor] saw another heartbeat and she said, 'Oh, it's two babies,' " recalls Shaneka, 34, who says their excitement was tempered when the doctor raised the possibility that their twins might be conjoined.

When that was confirmed, Shaneka says she was advised to terminate her pregnancy.

But the Philadelphia couple, who have been together for six years and were already parents of two, decided to get a second opinion at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), one of the only hospitals in the U.S. that performs separation surgeries.

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Although CHOP determined separation was possible and then began focusing on making sure her babies had a safe birth, Shaneka acknowledges that she struggled to feel connected to her boys throughout her pregnancy.

And when she gave birth to her sons — who shared the lowest part of their sternum, diaphragm, abdominal wall and liver — on Sept. 29, 2023, she says she still felt that distance.

But thanks to the hospital, which provided her with therapy, Shaneka was able to get the help she needed to be present for her children.

Related: Doctors Speak Out After Separating Conjoined Twins in Surgery That Took 3 Days: 'It Took a Personal Toll'

On Aug. 21, after 10 months of planning, it was finally time for Amari and Javar's separation surgery, which took 8 hours.

During the procedure, the boys' abdomens were closed and rebuilt, using layers of mesh and plastic surgery techniques to stabilize each one, according to the hospital.

"When they came out of surgery, that's when I broke down in tears because of the journey and I felt relieved," Shaneka tells PEOPLE.

Now, thirteen days after their first birthday, the parents are hopeful their boys are home for good.

"You just got to think the man upstairs really is amazing," Shaneka says. "You think about how we down here [are] doing the possible, but he's doing the impossible, what we think is impossible."

Related: Baby Born Weighing Less Than 1 Lb. Heads Home After 9 Months in NICU: 'Very Grateful,' Says Mom

The mom says she's now looking forward to spending time with her family of six after feeling "mom guilt" about having to split her focus between her boys and their older siblings Kaylum and Anora.

"I'm having fun with my other kids, but it's like they should be here," she says. "So I'm looking forward to sharing those moments."

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