A “miracle” baby who weighed just 1lb 2oz at birth and was kept alive in a sandwich bag to mimic the womb is now a healthy two-year-old, despite still being “tiny” for her age.
Chesil-Jade Lim weighed the same as a loaf of bread when she was born and spent 99 days in hospital fighting for her life after arriving 10 weeks early. Doctors told her “terrified” family to say their goodbyes, but Chesil-Jade beat the odds.
Now the little one - born on August 22 2019 at Mater Hospital, Brisbane, Australia - loves nothing more than to cuddle up with her favourite toy, a tiny rag doll that is the size she was as a newborn.
Parents Charm Pineda-Lim, 33, a nurse, and Jose Lim, 32, who works in IT, fought to keep the tiny tot on ventilation as they “knew she was meant to live”. After several terrifying close calls Chesil-Jade was allowed to go home on November 29th 2019.
Her mum Charm, from Brisbane, said: "I was so afraid to touch her when she was first born. She was so tiny.
"But I never gave up on her and I fought for her to stay on ventilation so she could survive. I knew she was meant to live and do great things. She really is our miracle little girl.
"Now she has a dolly - which she absolutely loves - which was the same size as her when she was born. It's tiny."
Charm was told that her baby was underweight and her blood flow was restricted when she was 23 weeks pregnant, at which point doctors advised her to undergo a termination. Instead Charm chose to give her daughter the best chance.
She said: "I wanted to do whatever it took to fight for her life. They said she was unlikely to make it or she'd have lots of problems when she was born but I didn't want to give up like that."
At 27 weeks pregnant Charm was rushed for an emergency c-section when Chesil's blood pressure became too high. The mum said: "I didn't see her when she was born. I was terrified to see her and touch her after.
"She was so tiny and her skin was see-through. But as soon as I did, she heard my voice and started crying."
Chesil was put on a ventilator to allow her to breathe. However, doctors were unsure she would survive due to low blood oxygen saturation levels.
Her mum said: “We were told that she wasn't going to make it. Her saturation levels had dropped so much.
"I held her for the last time, and we even took photos just in case. But miraculously they suddenly went up."
The baby’s saturation levels were unsteady and constantly dipping for weeks, and Charm fought to keep her on ventilation until she was strong enough. Chesil suffered multiple cardiac arrests, diseases, and her parents were told that she might have sepsis at one point.
Charm said: “We had to keep giving her kangaroo hugs - which are skin-to-skin contact. My husband and I would do it for about four hours at a time.”
Chesil was finally strong enough to come home after 99 days in hospital. She was kept on oxygen at home for an additional two months and three weeks.
"It was amazing to have her home. She is very special and it was so lovely to be a normal family with her out of hospital”, Charm said.
The two-year-old is now a happy youngster who “dances and jumps around”. She has had a slight delay to her speech but is healthy and “perfect”.
Her mum added: “She is still very tiny and wears clothes for a one-year-old but she is perfect. Now she is a very sweet, happy and smart kid."
