A baby boy, born just over a year ago and weighing less than a bag of sugar, is now experiencing life with a smile on his face, according to his proud mum.
Mum-to-be Dariene Adams was hundreds of miles away from home when she went into early labour with her first baby.
Dariene, 25, had been living in England for university when she gave birth to her baby boy, Micah, at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton on February 11 2022.
Read more: NI woman gives birth to baby weighing less than bag of sugar
She was just 25 weeks and five days into her pregnancy when she went into labour, and little Micah was born weighing just 845g.
The first-time-mum, who now lives in Portaferry, Co Down, went through the traumatic premature birth without any family members present and only had neonatal medics on hand to support her.
Baby Micah was in New Cross Hospital Neonatal Unit's Special Care room until April 5 when he was transferred home to Northern Ireland.
Dariene told Belfast Live: "Micah was born at 25+5 weeks, in Wolverhampton in February 2022. At the time I didn't have high hopes for such a small baby, especially when I saw him with so many cables and tubes attached to him.
"He had a difficult journey following delivery and required a lot of intensive care to get to the point where he was ready to go home.
"When he was strong enough to travel, we were allowed to fly him to the Neonatal Unit in the Ulster Hospital that April.
"Fifteen months on and Micah is doing amazing, getting chunky and a typical cheeky toddler. I feel so lucky when I think back to where we started with a tiny little baby to where he is now.
"He's my happy go lucky baby. He's loving his adventures as he learns to walk and experiences life with a smile on his face. He is proving to be a lot stronger and has a lot more willpower than I ever expected so it really is a dream."
Dariene is taking part in the TinyLife Big Push this weekend to help raise vital funds for the premature baby charity for Northern Ireland.
TinyLife’s Big Push 2023 on Sunday 21 May is a fun day out for everyone to enjoy and an amazing opportunity to help raise lots of funds to support vital practical and emotional support services that are used by babies and families all across Northern Ireland every day.
This event is a fun, non-competitive short walk or roll around Stormont Estate for everyone to enjoy. You can walk, push, pedal or scoot along the route to take in the fantastic scenery all around you.
Dariene added: "In the NICU at Ulster, we met an amazing team of people including Tiny Life. On my low days while Micah was there, I always had a listening ear or someone to sit and chat to. As a young single parent to a small tiny baby, it was amazing.
"They explained all the different things I can get help with, guided me to support groups, helped me locate clothes for my tiny baby boy and even explained the process of taking him home and staying safe.
"Since we were discharged from the NICU, Tiny Life is still part of our lives, and a huge help. Micah and myself want to give back. We have already donated clothes for the tiny babies that may not have any.
"We are doing a sponsored walk this Sunday to help raise money for babies just like Micah who are in the care of the NICU. The donations are used to help clothe babies, the loan of breast pumps, supplies for the NICU and emotional support for the families.
"This is our way of helping to give back to Tiny Life because they gave so much to us."
You can donate to Dariene's fundraiser here.
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