A teenage mother has given birth to an 11oz baby, who is believed to be the sᴍᴀʟʟᴇsᴛ ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ baby born in the UK in 20 years. Ellie Paton, 17, from Newmilns, Ayrshire, was 25 weeks ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ when she delivered baby Hannah Stibbles by ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ at Queen Elizabeth Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Glasgow on December 30.
Ellie and her partner Brandon Stibbles,21, had been ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ by ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs there was a ‘ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ’ little Hannah would be sᴛɪʟʟʙᴏʀɴ as the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ wasn’t feeding her properly, with minimal ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ғʟᴏᴡ. It was also ғᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ she would need to be immediately ʀᴇsᴜsᴄɪᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ after birth. But Ellie, from Newmilns, Ayrshire, said her ‘beautiful wee angel’ ғᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ the ᴏᴅᴅs and was born ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ on her own – weighing 325g, 11oz. Ellie said: “We are so proud of her. She came out ғɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ for her ʟɪғᴇ and proved everyone wrong. She is a wee sᴍᴀsʜᴇʀ.” Ellie began to realise her baby was sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟɪɴɢ inside the ᴡᴏᴍʙ when, during her 20-week sᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ her that the ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ was ɴᴏᴛ feeding baby Hannah properly. ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs monitored the teenager for the following few weeks, and on December 29, Ellie was taken to Crosshouse Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Kimarnock after feeling unwell with sᴛᴏᴍᴀᴄʜ ᴘᴀɪɴs. She was ᴅɪᴀɢɴᴏsᴇᴅ with ᴘʀᴇᴇᴄʟᴀᴍᴘsɪᴀ- a ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ which ʀᴀɪsᴇs a woman’s ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ and can ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ to the ʟɪᴠᴇʀ and ᴋɪᴅɴᴇʏs and can sometimes be ғᴀᴛᴀʟ.
ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs told the couple the only option was to transfer Ellie to Queen Elizabeth Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ (ⓆⒺⒽ) in Glasgow for sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟɪsᴛs to deʟɪᴠᴇʀ their baby at 25 weeks – but said she would likely ɴᴏᴛ survive. Hannah arrived at 1.04am on December 30 in ⓆⒺⒽ and began ғɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ for her ʟɪғᴇ. Proud dad Brandon said: “It was made very clear to us that there was no hope for her at all. They prepared us completely for the ᴡᴏʀsᴛ, telling us they would need to ʀᴇsᴜsᴄɪᴛᴀᴛᴇ her and then said they would focus on making sure Ellie was okay. There were five ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs in the room and all of them were telling us she would very likely ᴅɪᴇ. They said she only had a 20% chance of sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ beᴄᴀᴜsᴇ she was so sᴍᴀʟʟ.”
But the plucky tot seemed determined to ʙᴇᴀᴛ those ᴏᴅᴅs and was born ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ on her own. Ellie said: “As soon as she was born they took her to ⓃⒾⒸⓊ but she didn’t need to be ʀᴇsᴜsᴄɪᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ so that gave us hope straight away. We knew she was a fighter.” Since then baby Hannah has gone from strength to strength. Brain and heart scans have shown no abnormalities and she is being fed vitamins through a tube and has even managed some of her mother’s breastmilk – helping her to gain 25grams. The couple are now hoping Hannah will soon get to 500grams so she can be moved to their local Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ in Kilmarnock and one step closer to coming home with them to Newmilns in East Ayrshire.
