A little boy given a 10 per cent chance of survival defied the odds - and is now "a genius" who outsmarts his teachers and helps his mum budget. Jamie Mohr defied the odds when he was born weighing just 1lbs 8oz on September 10, 2018.
Jamie's mum, Lorraine, 38, had been told her placenta stopped working at her 20-week scan and the baby was no longer getting the nutrients to grow. Medics warned he would pass away immediately after birth and offered her a termination - which she refused.
A consultant told Lorraine they could deliver the baby at 28 weeks but that there would be a just 10 per cent chance of survival. She decided to give him a chance and says Jamie "surprised us all" and is now thriving.
He will start primary school later this year and has been labelled a "maths prodigy" - who can count in six different languages. Jamie even tots up his mum's shopping to the penny and his teachers say he is able to "out school them".
Lorraine, a senior policy officer from Glasgow, said: "It was a total rollercoaster. I trusted the doctors but deep down I was willing and hoping them to be wrong and they were.
"Each time they offered me a termination I kept saying no and going against them. Jamie defied the odds at every step, he defied medical science all the way, which is crazy.
"He is outsmarting his teachers - I got a message the other day from his nursery teacher who said he was out schooling her. When we go around the supermarket, Jamie is often totting up what we are spending and he usually gets it right down to the penny - he is pretty amazing."
Lorraine had a "normal pregnancy" until she had her 20-week scan where she was told that anomalies were found. She was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, where she was told the baby was no longer developing as he should.
She was warned her baby would pass away at birth and was offered an abortion - which she turned down.
Lorraine said: "When I returned to the hospital a week later there was still a heartbeat there. I came back several times until eventually, a consultant said the baby has a 10 per cent chance of survival."
Baby Jamie was born on September 10, 2018, at 4.42pm, weighing one lbs eight oz. But he has gone from strength to strength.
Lorraine said: "As soon as he was born he got taken to another ward and put on a ventilator. Then 12 hours later I was able to go down and see him.
"I was told not to expect him to survive but he went from strength to strength and I took him home 11 weeks later on November 30, 2018."
Lorraine first noticed Jamie was extremely clever just before his second birthday.
She said: "We noticed that his verbal communication was really good, he had been counting to 10 and reciting the alphabet. I didn't realise how advanced he was, I thought all two year olds could do that but one day his nursery told us this was unusual."
Lorraine started testing Jamie at home and just a few weeks after his second birthday, he could count to 50 and then 100. On another occasion Jamie was watching a show on YouTube when the character started counting in French, and when he switched the show-off, he started counting in French.
Lorraine said: "I couldn't believe it. I tested it out, I out on other programmes in Spanish and Japanese and he started counting in those languages too."
Jamie is now able to count in Spanish, German, Japanese, Mandarin and English. Medics have labelled Jamie as having hyperlexia - a superability to decode words as well as being gifted with numbers.
Lorraine said: “I don’t know where he gets it from. He’s got a photographic memory. He’s just a little miracle, especially after being told he would likely have a severe disability or learning difficulty. I’m just so proud of him.
"He is completely self-taught but now I know his ability I encourage it."
Jamie, who says he wants to grow up to be a pirate, is set to start primary school later this year. Lorraine has already met with his school teachers to set out a special curriculum for him.
She said: "They are going to put an independent curriculum in place for him, he has the maths ability of a 10-year-old. He now does fractions and percentages - he is a maths prodigy.
"I see Jamie going into the science and technology field - find a cure for an awful disease, who knows."
Lorraine said she is "incredibly proud" of the obstacles Jamie has been able to overcome. She said: "It is just incredible, it is a triple whammy for me. To even to get him to a point where we could deliver him - that was miraculous. Getting him home was also miraculous.
"We have already had two miracles happen but then to find out he is a gifted learner it is a triple whammy - I am no longer surprised at the things he can do.
"Jamie is incredibly funny, articulate, affectionate and humble - he is completely unaware he is so fantastic. He defies the odds in every single way, he does it all in his stride.
"He had such a rocky start but he has proved everyone wrong which makes me a proud parent."
