A child born at 24 weeks weighing only twelve ounces has defied doctors’ expectations after being given just a five per cent chance of survival.
Isabella Evans was Britain’s smallest premature baby in 15 years at the time of her birth last year, but after six months in hospital she is now home with her parents.
Her mother, Kym Brown, said: “Realistically, she shouldn’t be here. There were so many times we could have lost her. But she never stopped fighting.”
Doing well
Brown was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, a condition which can be life-threatening for mother and child.
Isabella had stopped growing at 21 weeks, and when her heart rate began falling the doctors carried out a caesarean on mother Kym.
But after post-birth operations and laser eye surgery, Isabella is now doing well.
Healthy
Her mother said: “She is crawling and starting to stand up, and has a great appetite”.
Isabella now weighs 13 pounds seven ounces, the weight of a healthy baby.
Despite the fact that increasing numbers of babies born extremely prematurely in the UK survive, it is still legal to have an abortion for social reasons up to 24 weeks.
After her birth, Michael Robinson, the Parliamentary Director for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said it was “chilling to think that in the same hospital where baby Isabella was, rightfully, looked after with love and care other children at the same stage of foetal development can be targeted for abortion”.
‘Greatest sound’
Last month, a mother who was told her child would die and that she should have an abortion shared how she clung on to hope and gave birth.
Kirsty Mizon said: “All the way through the pregnancy they were offering me terminations and saying he will be handicapped and won’t be able to use his limbs.”
Kirsty prepared for the worst, even planning a funeral before going into labour at 29 weeks.
“Then I heard my baby cry. It was the best feeling ever, the greatest sound I have ever heard.”