A baby born 15 weeks early was so tiny that doctors put her in a sandwich bag to mimic being in the womb.
Faith Findlay was born by an emergency C-Section after just 26 weeks of pregnancy and weighed only 1lb 15oz.
She was delivered at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough an entire three months before her due date in September 2020.
Baby Faith was immediately placed into a see-through sandwich bag by doctors as a strategy to keep her warm.
The bag resembles being in her mum's womb, medics said.
Mum Vanessa Findlay told Yahoo News : "They put her in this little bag to keep her warm and to mimic my womb. I was so shocked at how small she was."
Faith weighed less than a bag of sugar and could fit into her mother's hand.
She had to be rushed to intensive care as soon as she was born, while her parents were given the news she may not make it.
The newborn was found to have a hole in her heart and a brain lesion, which is a spot on the brain possibly signalling brain damage.
Faith had to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for 79 days.
But against all odds, baby Faith battled through and is now thriving at home with her parents a year after she left hospital.
Vanessa, who is 32 and works as a waitress, and her husband Kurt, also 32, said they were overjoyed to have their little one at home with them after a traumatic pregnancy and terrifying first few months.
The mum, who has two other children, had suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during her pregnancy, which causes regular horrific vomiting and nausea.
She had to be on bed rest for most of it.
“It was such a horrible pregnancy and I was always scared I was going to lose her," she said.
The waitress described how Faith let out a "tiny, squeaky cry" when she was born before being whisked away to intensive care.
She said her baby was "just so tiny" but incredibly she managed to pull through so she could come home.
Vanessa discovered she was pregnant with Faith in May 2020 while Kurt, a lance corporal, was away in Afghanistan with the army.
Sadly she had lost babies before and so was deemed high risk.
As the hyperemesis gravidarum worsened she had to go in and out of hospital as she was getting very dehydrated until the point her veins collapsed.,
With her husband away, Vanessa had to struggle to look after her two sons all while she was very ill.
She was having frequent scans and at 19 weeks doctors found she had little to no cervix left and she needed emergency surgery so it could be stitched closed.
At this point the consultant called Kurt home as after the surgery Vanessa was on strict bed rest. It was highly likely she would go into early labour.
Vanessa's waters actually broke at 22 weeks and they brought her into hospital trying to keep the baby inside her for as long at possible. She managed to hang on for another three weeks before her contractions started.
“They had to take my stitches out first and then in 15 minutes she was out. I was so relieved when I heard a little cry," Vanessa described.
The new parents got to see Faith later that day, and Vanessa said she had no idea if her daughter would make it.
But baby Faith was able to go home in December 2020 and while she still has a hole in her heart she is doing well.
Doctors say the hole should close on its own over time.
Vanessa described how they didn't find out they would be able to bring her home until the day. The doctor called and told her to "bring the car seat".
While her daughter is still small one year later, the mum describes her as a "fighter" who is "healthy and thriving".
