1lb 2oz tot was so premature that her skin was transparent
A BABY born so prematurely that her brain could be seen through her skin has battled against the odds to become a healthy one-year-old.
Little Hailie Dillon was born at 23 weeks and six days – one day before the 24-week mark the NHS officially use to determine whether a newborn has a chance of survival.
Her underdeveloped skin was so transparent that her brain matter could be clearly seen, and she weighed just 1lbs 2oz when she came into the world on February 23 last year.
Hailie had to be resuscitated when she was born because she didn’t breathe for seven minutes – and just two days later, one her tiny lungs collapsed.
Mum Cheri Price, 22, who lives on the Isle of Wight, said: “When Hailie was born, it sounds bad to say it but she looked like a red alien.
“She was still in the foetus stage and she didn’t look like a baby at all – we couldn’t believe she even survived.
“From birth, she was put in an incubator and we couldn’t touch her – but we could see all the veins of her brain through her red skin.”
It was 18 days before Cheri could even hold her daughter and she and Hailie’s dad, Tim Dillon, 32, spent three months at staff accommodation at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
Cheri and Tim made the decision to travel to Darlington, Teesside, to be closer to Tim’s brother – who would help with childcare for their 11-month-old
When she was born, it sounds bad to say it but she looked like a red alien
MUM CHERI
son Jack – and because they feared the hospital on the Isle of Wight would not have as many specialist facilities for premature babies.
At one point, there were fears Hailie could be permanently blind as her retina was not developing properly – but after being transferred to a specialist hospital, her sight was saved.
Hailie was finally allowed home on June 19 – two days after her actual due date. Cheri, who also has a son Liam, seven, said: “I’m so proud of her. What we’ve been through and what she has been through has been horrendous.
“We thought we would lose her at so many points.”