A newborn with paper-thin skin who was born 17 weeks early is ready to give parents the best Christmas present conceivable by going home from the hospital on the big day. At just over 1lb when he was born on August 11, Harry Lane barely survived, and his parents Linda and Matt worried he wouldn’t. But, doctors say the tiny miracle will be allowed to spend her first Christmas at home after spending months in 24-hour intensive care at Leicester Royal Hospital. When Harry was born, his skin was translucent due to its extreme thinness, making his veins quite obvious.
According to the Leicester Mercury, he was brought immediately to the hospital’s neonatal ward to fight for his life. For Leicester-based parents Linda and Matt, the last 16 weeks have been a roller coaster. As they care for their newborn boy, one of the tiniest babies ever born in his hometown, they have learnt to cherish each new day. When she was 23 weeks along, Linda, 28, said: “My pregnancy was progressing normally, but while I was at work, I began to hemorrhage heavily, and I had to go to the hospital right away. I was kept overnight but Harry didn’t wait. Everything happened too fast. I remember thinking it was too early. Harry also had a stroke so he was stuck for a while and when he was born he was taken straight to the neonatal unit.”
Added her: “He was diminutive and really weak. While I was hoping for the best, I also didn’t want to let my hopes grow. It was very challenging.”
Linda, a nursery manager, claimed that the unit’s therapists and nurses persuaded her to continue being active.
She uttered: “Since early and little children like Harry don’t always make it there, they thought it was encouraging that he made it all the way from the work camp to the unit. They advised us to. We had to remain upbeat, which we did. Throughout the road, there were many ups and downs. Harry had the illness a few weeks ago, but we are still confident.”
Since Harry was born, Linda has extracted breast milk to give him modest doses of food each day to give him the greatest possible start in life. He started breastfeeding last week, and while he still requires oxygen, he is breathing on his own.
We’ve been dropping by every day since I spent the first five days in the hospital following Harry’s birth, according to Linda. But this time, I’ll be staying with him so I can nurse him through the night. Harry, who was due to be born on December 5th, is 15 weeks old and still only weights 4 lbs. 14 oz., which is significantly less than the pounds. The typical birthweight is 7 lbs 8 oz.
He needs weekly eye exams to check for growth because premature babies are at increased risk for health problems. Hernia surgery may also be needed, but Linda and Matt are focused on the future.
Linda said: ‘We’re not sure exactly when we can bring him home, but the doctors say it’s definitely before Christmas. It’s going to be the best Christmas ever.”
