Emilia Grabarczyk is thought the to be tiniest baby ever to have survived premature birth after being born at 25 weeks weighing just 8 ounces — that’s less than the average grapefruit.
Born in the German city of Witten, Emilia was delivered by Cesarian section and, at birth, was just 8.6 inches, and her tiny feet measured one inch long — slightly bigger than her mom’s fingernails.
Doctors in Germany have described Emilia’s birth and subsequent survival — she’s now 9 months old — as nothing less than a miracle, and she’s now thought to be the tiniest, youngest baby ever born.
Dr Bahman Gharavi, head of the clinic where Emilia was born, said, “Even children with a birth weight of 14 ounces rarely survive. [Emilia] is a little fighter.”
For context, a foetus in the 26th week of pregnancy should weigh around 21 ounces — Emilia weighed just eight.
While Emilia was still in the womb, the placenta was not providing her with enough nutrition. Without an emergency C-section, Emilia would’ve died.
But parents Lukas and Sabine Grabarczy knew their daughter was going to defy the odds to survive.
Having been tube-fed for months with her life hanging in the balance, and even undergoing abdominal surgery when she weighed just 12 ounces, Emilia fought through and has stuned doctors with her progress.
Mom Sabine said, “There were many difficult days and many tears, but she clearly wanted to survive.”
Emilia is now nine months old, currently weighs 106 ounces, and is continuing to improve. Good luck Emilia, and welcome to the world.