A 25-week old baby born the size of a Coke can is battling for life following an intense four-day labour.
Caitlyn Robertson gave birth to tiny Elli 15 weeks early on February 22, with her daughter weighing just 1lb 7 oz.
The 23-year-old's waters broke unexpectedly on February 18, but doctors were certain the child would not survive so waited for a natural birth, the DailyRecord reports.
The tot was so small she would not have survived a C-section at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland.
Just a few days after being born, Elli suffered a grade 4 bleed to the brain.
Doctors have told parents Caitlyn and Jordan that their daughter will be left with some form of disability as a result.
The couple already share two other children, Oliver, 4, and Hunter, 18 months.
Caitlyn also experienced a premature birth with Hunter, who arrived at 31 weeks old, but he was very healthy and quickly went home.
Caitlyn said: "Her first scan was clear but she suffered this bleed on day three.
"It's the highest grade of bleed and she will have some form of disability but we won't know what that is until she gets older.
"The bleed could stay the same or get worse or she might not make it all - it's a lot to take in."
As well as the bleed to her brain, Elli is also battling a skin infection and staff are carefully monitoring the tot's weight, which has dropped from 810g at birth to just 678g.
Ellie is now so small she can only be handled just a few times a day, with medics ready to step in if her weight drops further.
Despite her challenges, tiny Elli is defying odds every day and is now miraculously breathing without the help of a ventilator.
Caitlyn added: "It's a long journey ahead but she's defied the odds so far.
"At first she needed a ventilator to breathe but she's doing it on her own now, and she's moved on to getting treatment to help keep her lungs open to make it easier for her.
"She is just so tiny that it's really hard to hold her as something could break so she's only handled every six hours.
"Me and my husband have only held her once and she weighs little more than a can of coke. She's the size of an average hand.
"Elli weighed 810g when she was born and now she's just 678g.
"I knew she would lose a little bit of weight but not that much so it's scary - there's nothing of her. Tiny baby clothes could wrap around her ten times over."
Friends of Jordan and Caitlyn have since set up a fundraiser to help the family with costs in the next steps of Elli's journey.
The mum-of-three says the ordeal is taking a toll on the Irvine family, who are having to travel to and from the hospital several times a day.
She explained: "We have two wee boys so we can't just spend all day at the hospital with Elli which is very hard.
"It's been awful for her big brothers as I can see my sons are struggling, not knowing where she is, especially my eldest, he just doesn't understand.
"Nothing is guaranteed so we want to be with her as much as we can."
To donate to the fundraiser, visit here.
