'My 1lb 8oz baby was so tiny his teddy now wears his first clothes'

Charlie Murphy weighed just 1lb 8oz when he was born 17 weeks early and spent four months in hospital.

He was too small to wear clothes and had to just wear nappies, blankets and hats until he was nine weeks old, which are now proudly displayed on his favourite teddies.

After 112 days spent in hospital, Charlie was allowed home with mum Lois Johnston and dad David Murphy, to Wakefield and is now a thriving 16-month-old.

Lois, 32, a HR assistant, said: “It was lovely dressing him for the time. It was a big milestone for us.

"People bought him little incubator outfits but he wasn't able to wear them that early on.

"We'd had them the whole time and it was really exciting to put them on him. By the time we got to put them on him they only just fit. He only got to wear them one time.

"It was one of the nurses who said it would be lovely to put them on his teddies so he can keep them.

“If you looked at him now you wouldn’t know. It’s amazing.

“It’s everyday life so you get on with and now and then you have these pinch me moments.

“I can’t believe how far he’s come, how far we’ve all come, since this time last year”.

Lois' pregnancy was completely normal and healthy, but it was when she was relaxing at home she began to bleed.

Doctors at Pinderfields Hospital initially were unable to find the cause of her bleed but then discovered Lois’ cervix was dilated between two and three centimetres.

She said: “I was crying because I didn’t think you could have a baby that early.

“I thought that was it. It was petrifying at that point”.

Lois was rushed by ambulance to Bradford Royal Infirmary, where she was put on a magnesium sulphate drip and steroids to help Charlie’s lungs.

After a few days on the maternity ward Lois began to feel uncomfortable.

She said: “I started having contractions, but because I’d not done any neonatal classes I didn’t know what a contraction felt like.

Charlie was born 8.02am on November, 23 2023.

“The nurses asked if I wanted to hold him, so they held him on me and a nurse took photos of us,” Lois said.

Charlie was then whisked away to the neonatal ward where he spent the next few months.

Lois said: “The first part of it was focused on his breathing. He wasn’t putting on weight, it was very slow.

Eventually Charlie was well enough to be moved closer to home in the NICU at Pinderfields.

Lois said: “In January he started to grow more and more, and we were focused on getting ready for home".

It was at this point Charlie was able to wear clothes for the first time.

Finally, Charlie was sent home on oxygen on March 13, 2024 and has gone on to thrive.

Lois said: “He’s so cheeky, he does the cheekiest little smile.

“He’s got so many teeth now he looks like a proper little boy. He’s a happy baby and laughs a lot."