Formerly Conjoined Twins Going Home Weeks After Separation Surgery: ‘We Are So Grateful,’ Says Mom

A pair of twins who were successfully separated last month after an hours-long procedure are now ready to go home.

Sisters Ella and Eliza Fuller, who were born at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women on March 1, are ready to return home after spending a total of over four months in the neonatal intensive care unit, Texas Children's Hospital announced in a news release Monday.

After months of preparation, which began "before these babies were even born," the separation surgery took place on June 14, Dr. Alice King, a pediatric surgeon at the hospital who led the team, said in a statement.

Sandy found out she was expecting conjoined twin girls during a "routine ultrasound during her second trimester."

She underwent extensive prenatal testing and imaging to determine whether the babies, conjoined at the abdomen and also shared liver tissues, could be separated after birth.

According to Dr. Michael Belfort, OB/GYN-in-chief at the hospital, the "delivery of conjoined twins is very complex, and we are incredibly privileged to have cutting-edge facilities and exceptionally skilled people for this type of coordinated prenatal care and birth at Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In addition to the prenatal care team for Sandy, a large multi-disciplinary team of neonatologists, NICU nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, and physical and occupational therapists spent two months planning and preparing for the girls' birth and eventual NICU admission.

Ella and Eliza, born via Caesarean section at 35 weeks, were both transferred to the Texas Children's Hospital level IV NICU an hour after their arrival.

For the next three months they remained there as they prepared for the procedure, which went "quicker than anticipated," according to Dr. Larry Hollier, Surgeon-In-Chief at Texas Children's Hospital and Vice Chair of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine.

"Following the successful operation, the girls returned to the NICU where they made a swift recovery," the release stated.

And three days after surgery, the twins were intubated, which gave their parents "the opportunity to hold their daughters separately for the first time in their lives," the hospital said.

Since then, the girls have "continued to make excellent progress toward healing, growing."

For Sandy, Texas Children’s Hospital "was a place of comfort and hope" for their family, which also includes the girls' big sister, Emilia.

"From the beginning to the end, we were guided, informed and comforted," she said in a statement. "We are so grateful God put some of the best doctors and nurses in our lives to give our girls the best chance at life."