Mum gives birth to one of UK's smallest babies at 350g
A British mum has given birth to one of the UK’s smallest babies, with her daughter Sky weighing just 350g.
Jessy Williams, 31, gave birth to twins Sky and Ezra when she was just 23 weeks pregnant. Ezra weighed 660g, but passed away a day after his birth.
Sky’s tiny weight of 12oz means she is one of the UK’s smallest-ever surviving babies, and is now almost 15 months old.
Read more: Parents of Britain's smallest-ever premature baby finally get their wish - Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read
Sky, who was born on April 27 last year, was kept in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for five months for treatment until she weighed 2lb 8oz (1.6kg).
"I thought I was going to lose Sky because of how small she was, so when we lost Ezra, I already began to prepare for the worst, but the team of doctors and nurses that surrounded us were very supportive," Williams says.
"They made me feel like Sky was the only patient there, even though you could see other babies and their parents. Their interactions with me were very personal and informative.
"All the nurses and doctors were amazing, open and honest, involving us in every detail of Sky's care. The whole team were on the same page, and they made sure they communicated with us in simple terms we could understand."
Read more: World’s tiniest surviving baby who was born same weight as apple is home after five months in hospital - Yahoo News UK, 3-min read
During her 20-week scan, Williams was told that the twins were "extremely small" and there was a chance she would go into preterm labour.
After she went into labour at 23 and a half weeks, Williams thought Ezra had higher chances of surviving as he was the bigger twin.
"Babies born at 23 weeks are extremely vulnerable and the majority are unable to survive," Dr Amit Gupta, Clinical Lead, Newborn Intensive Care Unit at OUH, says.
"Sky was not only born extremely preterm, but was also the tiniest baby we have looked after. It was a privilege to be part of Sky's miraculous journey and her progress is testament to the skill and care of our staff."
The UK’s smallest baby was born in December 2021 and weighed just 325g. Hannah Stibbles was given just a 20% chance of survival when she was born at 25 weeks old, but she left the hospital after five months of treatment in May last year.
Watch: Teenage mum gives birth to tot believed to be the UK's smallest premature baby
