1-Pound Premature Baby Survives as He Was Kept Alive in a Freezer Bag

International   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Dec 30, 2014   |   6:13PM   |   London, England

On December 22, 2013, Ellis Rogers’ life was saved after nurses placed him in a freezer bag to protect him from hypothermia. His parents, Emma and Matthew Rogers were concerned for their son’s life when Emma’s water broke five months early and she had to deliver him at 24-weeks fetal age.

Emma said, “I was panic-stricken. After 96 hours in labour, Ellis was born at 7.40pm – except he wasn’t crying. He was rushed to a resuscitation table and six doctors and nurses worked on him, inserting breathing tubes. I couldn’t believe it when they started putting him in a plastic bag – it was a freezer bag from Tesco. A nurse told us it was to keep him warm and mimic the womb. Ellis was zipped up right to the neck.”

According to Mirror.com, Ellis was in a neonatal unit at a local hospital for 96 days and placed in a bag that came up to his neck. He also had feeding and oxygen tubes that helped keep him alive. Additionally, on New Year’s Eve Ellis needed emergency surgery, as well as laser surgery since he was left partially sighted in his right eye. Emma said, “His fragile little body was hooked up to so many machines. The doctors told us it was touch and go.”

ellisrogers

Matthew concluded: “We were so terrified when Ellis was born early. He was so tiny he slipped right into the freezer bag. We didn’t know if we’d ever take him home – but now he is a really cheeky chappy. We are really looking forward to Ellis’ first Christmas at home. He is really happy and cheeky. It’s mad to think this time last year he was in a freezer bag.”

Now Ellis is doing well and celebrated his first birthday and Christmas at home with his parent. Ellis’s survival was truly miraculous because micro preemies born at 24-weeks only have a 20% chance of survival. This is because they are subject to a wide range of complications such as Respitory Distress Syndrome, jaundice, anemia and infection.

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However, because of advances in medicine and technology, more and more preterm babies with appropriate medical care are surviving. This highlights the importance of legislation protecting babies at 20-week-fetal age; the age we know unborn babies can feel pain and potentially live outside the womb. Although fetal viability and fetal pain don’t determine the worth and value of unborn life, they point to the inhuman act of late abortion.

Tragically, in the United States thousand of unborn babies die after 20-weeks at the hands of late-term abortionists. And even though statistics show that 64% of American’s support legislation protecting these babies, the United States is one of only four countries that allow abortions this late in pregnancy and for any reason.

As LifeNews previously reported, another micro preemie named Connor survived after being born at 23-weeks fetal age. In response to his survival, his mother Rachel Crockett explained that she wanted to share his story to cause people to question the legality of abortions on premature babies.

 

She said, “We were told to say goodbye to Connor and that we wouldn’t see him again. It felt like the end of the world, we were numb. We just had to sit there and wait for the nurse to say the worst, there was such relief when they told us he was OK. Later on the consultant came by and looked in on him – he could not believe Connor looked so well. I think the cut off point and abortion limit should be lowered to 20 weeks – especially considering what happened with Connor.”

 

Just like Ellis, Connor’s life was saved after he was placed in a freezer bag, and he celebrated his first birthday in October.