When Tommy Pratt was born on January 7, 2021 – at 24 weeks old – he weighed just 710g and his foot measured around the size of his mother’s fingertip.
What followed was 102 harrowing days in hospital, with Tommy battling chronic lung disease and a brain bleed before going home roughly a week before his due date on April, 19, 2021.
The odds might’ve been stacked against him, but two years on, his parents say Tommy’s ‘development is thriving.’
‘Looking at Tommy now, you’d never know what he’s been through,’ his mum Karianne, a beauty business owner from Leicestershire, said.
Karianne first started to experience bleeding 19 weeks into her pregnancy. But the biggest surprise was yet to come.
‘When I started having contractions at 24 weeks, I went into complete shock,’ she said.
‘I never actually thought he’d come so early, but after just 25 minutes of pushing, he was here.
‘I couldn’t believe how tiny he was. It was really scary, but I never once doubted that he wouldn’t pull through. It was horrible not being able to cuddle him straight away, but he had to be put in an incubator.
‘It was heartbreaking seeing his little body connected to so many tubes and machine. It was touch and go for a while and we had lots of scares, but every time he pulled through.
‘We’re so proud of how far he’s come.’
Karianne fell pregnant on September 2020, and describes the early weeks as going ‘without a hitch’ before she experienced bleeding.
‘I was working from home, and I went to the toilet and there was loads of blood,’ Karianne, who also has seven-year-old daughter, Lily, explained.
‘I assumed the worst and rushed to hospital, but the doctors assured me he was fine. I was so on edge after that, every time I bled I thought he was gone.’
The subsequent weeks were up and down for Karianne, who was under the watchful eye of medics before going into labour at 24 weeks.
Then, on January 7, Tommy was born breach and in his amniotic sack. He weighed just 710 grams.
She continued: ‘He didn’t cry at first, which actually lead to complications as one of the ducts on his heart didn’t snap like it should when a baby cries.’
Tommy experienced a number of health complications during his 102 days in hospital. At 13 weeks old, for instance, he needed surgery to remove a large hernia.
‘When I did finally hold him I was terrified – his foot was the size of my fingertip!’ Karianne recalled.
At five weeks old, Karianne photographed her finger next to Tommy’s foot after being shocked at ’just how small’ it was.
Then, Tommy was diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity – an eye disease common in premature babies when abnormal blood vessels develop in the retina – but, fortunately, the ailment cleared up eventually.
His experience in hospital has also left Tommy with chronic lung disease — but the condition remains mild.
Eventually, in April 2021, Tommy was discharged from hospital — but it was still touch and go for Karianne and her husband.
‘It was daunting when Tommy first came home, as he was still on oxygen,’ she added.
‘It was the first time he was able to meet his sister Lily, as she wasn’t able to go into the hospital due to Covid restrictions.’
These days, however, Tommy is thriving and even attends an outdoor nursery.
‘He’s so funny, cheeky and talkative now,’ Karianne added.
‘Thankfully he’s meeting all his milestones and isn’t showing any signs of delays.
‘He’s just a typical little boy and we’re so proud of him!’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2023/11/12/baby-tiny-birth-foot-size-fingertip-19812136/
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