A baby girl has survived after being born four months prematurely and weighing half a pound.
The survival rate for such infants is only 25%.
The newborn weighed just 0.7lbs (300 grams) at birth.
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She was born 16 weeks before her due date and was therefore considered extremely premature.
The girl’s whole hand was the size of a fingertip, as reported by Need To Know.
The University Hospital Magdeburg, located south-west of the German capital Berlin, shared photos of the miracle tot yesterday (29 Oct).
Doctors succeeded in keeping the baby alive outside the mother’s womb long enough for her to develop sufficiently.
It was only after seven weeks that she could breathe on her own.
The hospital called it an “extraordinary medical success”.
Senior physician Ralf Böttger said: “The child was on a ventilator for seven weeks before she could breathe independently.”
In addition to intravenous feeding, the child’s sensitive skin and organs had to be protected.
“The treatment required an extremely precise and careful approach,” Böttger explained.
The baby’s parents stayed in the hospital throughout, developing an important bond with their daughter to give her the best chance of survival.
Nine weeks after the original due date, the parents were finally able to take their little one home.
She required treatment for a retinal change, but is otherwise developing normally.
The parents chose not to release the girl’s name to protect her privacy.
The record for the youngest surviving premature baby in the world is held by little Nash Keen from the US, who was born 21 weeks premature and weighed only 283 grams.
He celebrated his first birthday in July this year,.
