A ᴛɪɴʏ baby, born at just 23 weeks, has managed to sᴛᴜɴ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs at John Radcliffe Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Oxford as she has grown to reach the size of a Christmas cracker. Now, these parents are counting their blessings this Christmas, celebrating the arrival of their baby daughter after an ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ sᴛʀᴇssғᴜʟ birth where her twin sᴀᴅʟʏ didn’t make it.
Mom Cheryl, from Milton Keynes went into ʟᴀʙᴏᴜʀ at 23 weeks and had to have an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴛɪɴʏ Lily was born alongside her twin sister Daisy on October 20 at just 15oz . The twins were given just 20% ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ of sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ and, ᴛʀᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ, Daisy developed a sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs ɪɴғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ and ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ in November. However Lily, who is being cared for in the ⓃⒾⒸⓊ unit at John Radcliffe Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Oxford, has continued to sᴛᴜɴ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs with her progress and Cheryl, 38, has been documenting her growth by comparing her to various objects. At 20 days old and weighing 1lb 5oz she was only marginally bigger than an iPhone, and at one month old and 1lb 9oz she was around the size of a pop bottle.
Mum Cheryl , who also has four other children, is over the moon that little Lily is growing. More recently she snapped eight-week-old Lily, who now weighs 2lbs 9oz next to a Christmas cracker, as she prepares to celebrate her first Christmas despite not being due until February 6 2022. Cheryl said: “I heard the team of ɴᴜʀsᴇs ɢᴀsᴘ when they saw how unexpectedly ᴛɪɴʏ they were. I was told by the consultant that we would need some serious good luck on our side if they were even to sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ the night as their chances were very low. I was so ᴛᴇʀʀɪғɪᴇᴅ, I didn’t know if Ray would make it to see our girls ᴀʟɪᴠᴇ. Measuring Lily against objects started after Daisy ᴘᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. I realised how precious every moment was and wanted to document every part of Lily’s journey. My children had also said when they met the girls, when Daisy was ᴄʀɪᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴀʀᴇ, that they never realised their extreme teeny size from the pictures I had shared so I decided to do the comparison pictures. I have left my children at home for two months while spending every single day with Lily, I have promised them that I will be home with them at Christmas. Ray is staying on his own with Lily. It will break my heart to leave her but her ɪɴᴄᴜʙᴀᴛᴏʀ is decorated with little pink fairy lights and she has a little Christmas stocking in the hope Santa will stop by.”
They’re now looking forward to the day Lily is ᴄʟᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ to come home. Cheryl said:” The day Lily comes home will be ridiculously emotional. It will be the time we were supposed to be bringing two identical babies home so it will be tinged with sadness but at the same time it will be the happiest day of our lives. I know her brothers and sisters will be fighting over who will be holding her. But the most important thing is that we will finally be able to be a family again.
