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Baby born 16 weeks premature now at home “happy and healthy”

By Dave Andrusko

His parents Carlo and Sarah say their son is now developing well – and is even big enough to hold his teddy

Little Carlo Cucchi was so small when he was born at 24 weeks, his mom, Sarah, said, “We were told he was in a critical condition and that we should get him blessed because he might not last the night, so we did.”

His dad, also named Carlo, told Emily Howett of the British publication, The Mirror

“When he was born he was so tiny, I think his head was about the size of a golf ball and when we were given this bear it just seemed to dwarf him. We just kept saying how nice it’d be if he became as big as his teddy or even if he got so big that he could hold it.”

And now, since going home after four months in intensive care, baby Carlo, born at just 1lb, 6oz, is “a happy and healthy 18lb baby and his parents are over the moon to have celebrated their little miracle’s first birthday,” Howett reported.

But it was truly touch and go for a baby born 16 weeks premature in Heswall, Merseyside, England. Doctors told the couple that baby Carlo had only a 20% of survival, and that his 24 hours were critical.

“He developed thrombosis in his left leg after getting a blood clot which caused his leg to die,” Howett reported. “The risk of an operation to have it amputated was too high so doctors had to wait for it to blacken, shrivel up and drop off before it could be treated,” added the Daily Mail’s Madlen Davies.

But Carlo was nothing if not a fighter. Although born weighing less than a bag of sugar, he is now at home with his parents. Carlo has just started to sit up by himself–“ a reality that his parents couldn’t imagine at one point,” Howett observes, despite losing part of his leg due to thrombosis.
“We never even thought we’d get to celebrate his birthday, it just seemed so distant, so it was definitely an emotional time for us – it’s been such a struggle,” his dad said. “”It’s so amazing to see now, he chucks this teddy about everywhere and always takes it to bed with him – it’s hard to believe he was smaller than it now.”

Mrs. Cucchi told Davies, “He’s just started to sit up now where children his age would normally start to walk – but we don’t mind at all because he’s healthy and that’s the most important thing.”

We celebrated his birthday at home and had a nice cake made it was lovely – we’ve had so many amazing messages of support too which have just been overwhelming.

Source: NRLC News