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Baby Leighton weighed only 760 grams at birth in 2018. Doctors described him as "unsustainable" and even asked his parents if they had to make an attempt at resuscitation if the situation deteriorated.
"They did not stop asking us: are you sure? Are you sure? "Mom Bree Vine told 7 News." They told me that he could leave with long-term problems. "
Leighton survived. He was locked in a plastic bag containing oxygen, which helped him develop his weak lungs.
"I was terrified," said Bree. "I had the impression that if I touched it, I would break it. He was so small and so fragile.
Bree's baby was born 17 weeks early. Photo: 7 News
"Technology mimics the uterus"
The use of plastic bags to incubate premature babies is not a new technology. Researchers have been testing it on lambs since 2017.
With lambs, the bags are filled with amniotic fluid and connected to an artificial placenta. The device replaces the uterus for premature animals.
Babies born at 23 weeks are normally placed in an incubator and placed under a ventilator to help them breathe. According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, this could be detrimental to the development of their lungs.
"The challenge we are trying to address is that the 23 – to 24 – week – old baby who faces such a challenge of living out of the womb on dry land, breathes out of the water. air while it's not supposed to be there, "Researcher Dr. Emily Partridge told the BBC.
In Australia, about 68 babies are born prematurely each day. People born at 23 weeks of gestation have a 20 to 30% chance of surviving.
Leighton is now eight months old and is in good health. Photo: 7 News
"It's a miracle and a half"
Now a healthy eight-month-old baby, Leighton is one of the smallest premies to have survived in the state of Washington.
"It's a miracle and a half," said his proud mother. "Even the doctors say that he defies all odds."
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