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WITTEN, Germany – When Emilia Grabarczyk was born prematurely nine months ago in the German city of Witten, she weighed only 8 ounces and was a tiny 8.6 inches long, and while doctors and experts didn’t believe she would have a chance, she proved them wrong, earning the nickname ‘the little fighter’.
Emilia’s parents had little choice in their child’s early birth, as doctors discovered an issue with the placenta which was cutting off needed nutrition. There was no doubt that Emilia would die in the womb, so if she was going to have any chance at life, an early birth was her only option.
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Still, the odds were most certainly against Emilia. Such an early birth could easily lead to disabilities, both physically and mentally, yet all signs point to a fairly normal development. Emilia even survived a risky abdominal surgery soon after her birth, at a weight of only 12 ounces.
Doctors have called Emilia’s journey a “medical sensation†and with a combination of some great doctors and Emilia’s own fight to survive, the outlook is quite positive for the girl.
Emilia is the smallest baby, in terms of weight, known to have survived such an early birth. The current record for the smallest baby belongs to Rumaisa Rahman, a baby girl born in Chicago, with a weight of 8.6 ounces, but measuring 8 inches tall.