Baby born 'smaller than a carton of milk' celebrates first birthday

A baby boy who was ‘smaller than a carton of milk’ and weighing just 1lb 2oz after being born four months premature in Norway celebrated his first birthday.

The doctors had almost left him to die on the mother’s chest due to low chances of survival and would likely be brain damaged after his arrival four months early in September last year.

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The kitchen assistant, 34-year-old Cathrine Bakke, and her fiancé, 47-year-old Randy Robertson, a care assistant, were not allowed to hold their son for over two weeks after he was born because he was so weak.

The newborn boy defied all the odds after turning one earlier this month. The mother-of-three from Alta, Norway said that the youngster, Shaka, is now as healthy as any other mischievous toddler, Mirror UK reported.

“I’ve never met someone with a baby so healthy who was born so early. He was just 29cm in length when he was born. It took three weeks for doctors to say he was going to survive. It was very traumatic time. I cried a lot. But today he is just like any other healthy and happy baby. He broke all prognoses.”

According to reports, Shaka was due to be born at the beginning of January this year, but Cathrine’s world was turned upside down when her waters broke at home, while just 22 weeks and two days pregnant.

The mum-of-three, from Alta, Norway was rushed by helicopter to the nearest hospital where doctors warned her Shaka would be left on her chest to die if she went into labour before 23 weeks.

In a last ditch bid to save her baby son, doctors tried to stop the mum-of-three going into labour for as long as possible and she ended up delivering him six days later at 23 weeks and one day.

Father of the lucky baby boy managed to make the birth in the nick of time after jumping on the first plane to the Norwegian town of Tromsø, where Cathrine was in hospital.

Ms Bakke said, “Before he was born, the doctors were preparing us for a multi-handicapped child. Cerebral palsy and major brain bleeding were the main concerns. When Shaka was two or three days old they said if he gets worse you have to choose whether you want this life for your child or to take him off life support. It was the worst thing I’ve ever gone through.”

However, the new mum’s ordeal wasn’t yet over, and she had to spend an antagonising few months alone in hospital caring for her son who doctors feared wouldn’t make it, while Randy saw to the other children back home.

Shaka initially had a slight bleed on the brain and intestinal problems, but both conditions cleared up within two months before doctors had chance to operate on the tiny new-born.

 

And luckily the plucky tot didn’t deteriorate, but Cathrine had to stay with him onsite at the hospital for almost four months until he could breathe on his own.

Shaka came off oxygen at the end of December last year and Cathrine was eventually allowed to return to the family home with him on New Year’s Eve, just before his due date of early January this year.

It was only the third time that Cathrine’s and Randy’s daughters, Kumba, 9, and Jalivia, 4, had been able to see their little brother since he was born four months earlier.