Lily Menear was born prematurely at 22 weeks, weighing just as heavy as a small bag of sugar. Her struggle to live was arduous as she fought off multiple life-threatening conditions, such as a bleed on the brain, and contracting various infections in her five-month stay in the hospital.

Her parents, 26-year-old Tayla Menear and 29-year-old Shane Rumbles were not allowed to hold her for the first month. Doctors warned them, in the beginning, to prepare for the worst.

Lily's mother was told by staff at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital that they had only previously seen one other baby survive after being born at 22 weeks. She says she wanted other women to know that if they do happen to go into labor at 22 weeks, they shouldn't lose hope because there is always a chance.

Lily's survival despite being born at just 22 weeks and two days will start debates about the 24-week cut off-date for abortions. However, despite all odds, Lilly is now home and has conquered many diseases in just the first five months of her life.

When the Unexpected Happens

Tayla Menear from Norwich was 21 weeks and four days pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital with a suspected infection and broken water. Lilly was born a few days later on December 9, weighing just one pound and two ounces.

Incessant care began immediately for the premature infant. She was initially stabilized by a senior neonatal team who intubated to help her breathe. She was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit, where she spent seven weeks on a ventilator.

During her stay in the hospital, she had three infections, which were treated with antibiotics, a gut obstruction due to curdled milk, a bleed on the brain, and a distended intestine that needed major surgery at three months. Nonetheless, doctors were optimistic about her future.

Tayla recounts how they took each step at a time and how she found strength in the smiles her daughter gives her every time she hears her voice. She added that she was far too excited to feel scared when she first held her daughter.

Lily's fight for survival also coincided with the coronavirus outbreak. Because of hospital protocols, the parents were not allowed to visit her at the hospital. Tayla said she was in complete disbelief when doctors told her she could finally take her daughter home.

Official instructions from 2008 said that a presumption that life-saving treatment should not be offered to a baby born before 23 weeks. However, following an improvement in survival rates, the British Association of Perinatal Medicine released a statement in October that doctors should attempt to save infants born after 22 weeks.

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital said that they considered different circumstances on a case to case basis.

Infants born before 22 weeks are believed to have a small fighting chance because all their major organs, such as the lungs, heart, and brain, have not yet fully developed.

The world's youngest known survivor is born at 21 weeks and five days. This title belongs to James Elgin Gill, who was born in Canada in 1987.