London's Telegraph is reporting on the extraordinarily rare case of Claire Ormrod, 26, who delivered a daughter on December 6, 2011, at just 25 weeks. Tiny Alice Ormrod was just one pound, three ounces - the smallest baby born in Wales and was not expected to survive. In fact, had she born just a day earlier, doctors would not have even tried to save her.
However, the little fighter defied the odds, showing her first signs of life shortly after receiving a rush baptism on the day she was born.
Just seven weeks later, and despite being on birth control pills at the time, Claire fell pregnant again.
"I was absolutely petrified when I found out I was pregnant again," Claire told the Telegraph. "My GP said I should have a termination. He said it would end up killing me and the baby and that it wouldn't be fair to put me through it. But I said no, straight out."
She went through with the pregnancy, but only carried the child to 29 weeks before once again requiring an emergency C-Section. She gave birth on September 7, 2012, to a two pound baby boy named Gareth who is doing well.
In spite of her constant use of artificial contraception, Claire, who lives with her partner, Gareth Gee, 36, now has five children, all of whom were conceived when she was either on the pill or using an IUD (intrauterine device). Her three other children are Molly, 7; Jack, 5; and Charlie, 2.
"With every one of my children I was on the pill or the coil," said Claire who admits that she was also on a waiting list to be sterilized when she became pregnant with Gareth. "The coil is supposed to be 99.99% effective and I was on it when I had three of my children."
Alice, who is now 13 months old, was brain damaged after a bleed in her liver, and suffers from other conditions.
But her mother has nothing but praise for her. "She is a miracle baby, she is a fighter."
Gareth, who is just over four months old, weighs seven pounds, 14 ounces, about what he would have weighed had he been carried to full term.
Because her children were born so close together, they will both start school at the same time at a local Catholic school.
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