JAKE Jamieson is a medical marvel – like nothing on earth – but he’s also sent his parents to the end of the earth to ensure his survival.
And now Tumut’s Katie Rosin has received the best Christmas gift any mother could ask for after a fraught period of medical emergency.
It’s a sense of relief and excitement for the young family at the end of a long tunnel – a tunnel nobody knew where would end.
“He’s just a little miracle,” she said, choking back tears.
“He’s put up more of a fight than anyone. It was really touch and go … he could fit in the palm of his Dad’s hand.”
Jake – who weighed just 650 grams at birth – needed to come out at 27 weeks. His mother’s body shut down nourishment and doctors said he was expected to arrive within 48 hours.
“I think you’re just in shock at that point,” Ms Rosin said.
“It all happened really quickly, especially when it’s something you’re not expecting. It was hard, but we’ve just had to go with it.”
Baby Jake was rushed to Nepean Hospital in Sydney, where he was given a coin flip chance of survival.
Since then, he’s been in and out of various NSW hospitals as medicos battled to overcome aftershocks. Two weeks ago, baby Jake arrived home in Tumut for the first time after a stay at Wagga’s Ronald McDonald House.
So serious are doctors about his recovery, they aren’t taking any chances.
On Tuesday, Jake spent more than four hours under observation at the base hospital after some unexpected restlessness.
“It’s just a precaution at this stage,” Ms Rosin said. “I’m sure we’ll have him home in no time.”
Cradling baby Jake in her arms, grandmother Sally Rosin said the ordeal had brought the family closer together.
“Someone has been there all the time,” she said.
“We’ve all just been thinking ‘it’s going to be alright’. That’s what’s got us through.
“He’s probably just wondering what all the fuss is about.”
The family’s attention has now turned to building Jake’s weight and muscle. Despite being born on September 18, doctors classify him as technically just seven days old from his December 17 due date.
About 8 per cent of Australian babies are born prematurely, with no identifiable cause for babies being born too early.
