Flynn Parry is one of the youngest babies ever to survive outside the womb in England. Born one week before the legal abortion limit, doctors warned his parents to prepare for the worst.
But they didn’t have to. The Sun reports Flynn now is a thriving toddler who loves to climb and play with trains. His mother, Hoda Ali, said he has problems with his sight, but he does not have any other health problems as a result of his premature birth.
“Flynn brings hope to everyone with premature babies, currently in hospital. You can get through it,” his mother said.
Ali said she still does not know why her water broke in early February 2016 when she was 22 weeks pregnant. Doctors were able to delay labor for several days, but on Feb. 13, Flynn was born. He weighed a little more than 1 pound and measured 11 inches, according to the Daily Record.
“Doctors said only one in six babies survived the night at his age,” Ali said. “Even the one that lived only had a 50 per cent chance of surviving any further.”
The Willesden Green, north London family watched as their son struggled through numerous complications, including sepsis, two brain bleeds and retinopathy of prematurity, a condition in which the retinas detach from the back of the eye, according to the report.
During the first few months of his life, Flynn had several surgeries, including one on his eyes and one to remove a hernia, the report states. Each time, he battled through the obstacle and survived.
“A doctor told me, ‘He’s a fighter – all premature babies are,’” Ali said. “It was true. He fought every day.”
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Flynn was released from the hospital on June 16, 2016, ten days after his due date, according to the report. Now at home, his parents said he is doing well.
They said his only major problem is his eyesight, and he probably will need glasses in the future. Otherwise, they said he is a happy toddler who loves to climb and eat pizza.
“It’s amazing to see him now,” she said. “He’s come so, so far.”
More very early preemies are surviving outside the womb thanks to modern medical technology.
Last fall, a Chicago hospital saved a very premature infant who was born weighing 13 ounces. Eirianna spent four months at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago before growing well enough to go home in February of this year.
British toddler Kalel Fitz was born after just 23 weeks in his mother’s womb, and doctors gave him a small chance of survival, according to The Daily Mail. His feet were so tiny that they measured just 1 inch long. He now is a toddler.
Twins Imogen and Annabelle Weir are another example. Born at 23 weeks in April 2016, they are believed to be the youngest and smallest twins to survive outside the womb in Scotland, according to the BBC.
A Duke University study published in January found babies born at just 23 weeks gestation are surviving outside the womb at a greater rate than ever before. Researchers examined 4,500 babies between 2000 and 2011 and found a “small but significant drop in fatalities for babies born between 23 and 37 weeks gestation,” as well as a decrease in premature babies manifesting with neurophysiological problems, the Daily Mail reported.
Research published in 2015 in the New England Journal of Medicine also found that 23 percent of premature infants are surviving birth as early as 22 weeks. However, the study also found that some hospitals are not giving babies treatment at this early age, despite talk about pushing back the standard viability line from 24 weeks to 23.
