A 'miracle baby' who weighed little more than a bag of sugar when he was born at a Glasgow hospital has finally gone home after spending more than four months fighting for his life.
Tiny Zayd Malik entered the world at just 23 weeks in January, weighing only 552g and fitting into the palm of his mum's hand, reports GlasgowLive.
His parents, Aisha and Zuhayr Malik, faced months of uncertainty as their son battled a series of life-threatening complications at the neonatal unit of Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
The brave youngster endured sepsis, an acute kidney injury, 13 blood transfusions and three major surgeries. Doctors also diagnosed him with chronic lung disease during his lengthy stay in hospital.
But after 123 days of treatment and care, Zayd – whose name means 'growth and progress' – was finally allowed home on Tuesday, June 2, exactly one week after his due date.
Mum Aisha, 33, from Newton Mearns, said: 'There was a lot of uncertainty and a lot of fear and anxiety, but he got over every hurdle that came his way.'
'He was one of the smallest babies the doctors had seen, and there wasn't a lot of confidence that we would get here. It's just amazing that he's made it and he's thriving.'
The tiny fighter spent 84 days in intensive care, followed by 31 days in high dependency care and eight days in special care as medical staff worked tirelessly to keep him alive.
According to NHS figures, only 19 per cent of babies born alive at 23 weeks survive. But Aisha and husband Zuhayr, 34, believe their son has proved the doubters wrong.
She said: 'He was the size of my hand, so we were looking at the journey ahead thinking, How are we going to get through this? We still had 17 weeks until his due date.'
The Malik family celebrated Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and two Eid holidays beside Zayd's hospital bed as they waited for the day they could bring him home.
His arrival comes as an emotional boost for the family, who already have two sons, Omar, eight, and Saif, six, who lives with muscular dystrophy.
Although Zayd still requires oxygen around the clock, his family are optimistic about his future and delighted to finally have him home.
Aisha paid tribute to the neonatal team at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, describing the care they received as 'amazing'.
She also singled out nurse Tracey Clinton, Dr Louise Leven and surgeon Gregory Walker, saying they had saved her son's life on multiple occasions.
Calling Zayd her 'miracle baby', she added: 'From the minute I went into labour there was a lot of uncertainty, fear and worry. It's so nice now to be through all of that and see that it all worked out, and that he's doing so good now.'
Zayd has defied all the odds stacked against him.
