Scissor mistake saves tiny baby's life
A tiny premature baby has survived 134 days in hospital and will spend her first Christmas at home, all thanks to a pair of misplaced scissors.
Maddalena Douse was so tiny, and her chances of survival so slim, doctors were unsure about trying to save her when she was born, at just over 23 weeks.
However, a pair of scissor clamps was mistakenly left on the scales when she was being weighed, bumping up her recorded weight and convincing doctors she was strong enough to be saved.
Maddalena weighed just one pound when she was born, the minimum weight for a baby to be considered viable for life.
"Everything I'd ever heard about premature babies, I’d only ever heard about 24 weeks and I was 5 days away from that, so I just thought there was no hope," said her mother Kate.
"Had it not been for the clamp cord being still attached, it would have been a totally different story."
While her twin Isabella didn't survive, after five months of hospitalisation Kate and Maddalena’s father Renato said they were thankful their little miracle pulled through.
