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Youngest Baby Ever To Survive In UK Now A Happy, Healthy Two Year Old

Youngest Baby Ever To Survive In UK Now A Happy, Healthy Two Year Old

Weighing just 1lb 4oz, Edie was the size of mum Nicola’s hand, and was so premature that her skin was still see-through

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Edie-Madoc Jones is a happy, healthy two-year-old girl, but things haven't always been quite so straight-forward for the toddler - who was born at 23 weeks and four days gestation, making her the youngest baby ever to survive in the UK.

Weighing just 1lb 4oz, Edie was the size of mum Nicola's hand, and was so premature that her skin was still see-through.

Doctors had warned Nicola and husband David, both civil servants, that their baby might not survive, and that if she did she could be severely disabled.

But Edie managed to battle through three bouts of sepsis, a brain bleed, a hole in her heart and prenumonia, and is now fighting fit as a 'headstrong' little girl.

Edie is now a healthy two-year-old girl.
Caters

Last week, the world's youngest baby ever to be born was revealed as young Saybie from San Diego, California, who was born at 23 weeks and three days - just one day's gestation less than Edie.

Nicola, 38, has said she can sympathise with what Saybie's parents are going through, and has urged other parents of premature babies not to lose faith.

She said: "I know what it is like to give birth to a baby that medical teams do not believe is 'viable' - and I know the strength that is needed to be that baby's mum and to fight tooth and nail for them to survive.

"I want other premmie baby parents to know that even a baby as tiny as mine can go on to live a happy, healthy life.

"The odds of survival are so low but miracles can happen.

"When Edie was born it was the most frightening time of my life and I know exactly how baby Saybie's parents must be feeling and how terrified they must have been."

Edie when she was born.
Caters

Nicola, from Cardiff explained she hadn't experienced any complications during her pregnancy with Edie, who is her first child.

However, at 23 weeks - which is shortly before the legal abortion cut-off period - Nicola experienced a small bleed while going to the loo.

She said: "I told my husband Dave what had happened and he said don't panic. I was absolutely fine but decided to ring the hospital as a precaution.

"They told me to come in but I was quite relaxed.

"We drove into the hospital and were talking on the way about what we were going to have for dinner.

"I went into a room to be examined and I remember the midwife saying: 'Everything seems normal, but you're dilating.'

"That was the beginning of hell really."

In an effort to get Edie over the 24-week mark, doctors tried desperately to keep her in Nicola's womb as long as possible.

After rushing Nicola into a delivery suite, doctors then told her and husband David, 37, that tiny Edie had only a 20 per cent chance of survival.

Tiny Edie weighed just 1lb 4oz.
Caters

Nicola continued: "I was panicking because it was so early. I remember the doctor said a foetus isn't viable for life for until 24 weeks. We felt completely helpless and absolutely crushed.

"That was my baby that he was talking about and to me, it wasn't a foetus, it was our little girl.

"We wanted to be parents more than anything. Days before we were picking out items for the nursery and now we were facing losing our baby.

"I know it's not my fault but it was an emotional time and I was very hard on myself because I couldn't keep her inside of me where she was safe.

"The doctors and nurses were all amazing and did everything they could to reassure us at the darkest point in our lives."

Placing Edie in an incubator and a protective plastic bag, she spent the first two weeks of her life on life support - fending off a brain bleed, lung disease, collapsed lungs, pneumonia, sepsis, low platelets and haomeoglobin and a hole in her heart.

After 109 days battling for her life, Edie was finally able to go home with her family.

Nicola said: "The nurses told us that Edie was the most premature baby they've had who's survived.

"When we took her home we were scared and apprehensive.

"We'd spent the beginning of her life surrounded by monitors and doctors and nurses so we were a bit of our comfort zone taking her home."

Two years on, little Edie has grown up without any health issues - despite being nine centiles smaller than other children her age.

Edie with mum Nicola.
Caters
Edie is Nicola and David's 'miracle'.
Caters

"Doctors kept telling me they'd never seen a baby so small who had survived, and nobody could find any record of a baby so young surviving before," Nicola added.

"The progress she has made is immeasurable.

"Our life is normal but on a daily basis we're struck by how much she's overcome.

"She is an absolute character, she's one of a kind, she's very charismatic, she's incredibly funny and she's very head strong.

"She's still quite little for a two year old but she's got an attitude and she's stubborn.

"But it's those traits that have got her through.

"She's our miracle."

Featured Image Credit: Caters

Topics: uk news, News