A baby boy who weighed just 1lb 10oz when he was born 16 weeks premature has beaten all the odds to reach his first birthday - after doctors warned he was unlikely to survive.
Little Haris Mockbill had underdeveloped lungs when he was born at just 24 weeks on July 9 last year.
His mother Ellie Barr, 28, had experienced heavy bleeding throughout her pregnancy .
She gave birth after one particularly heavy bout of bleeding, but the baby was unable to breathe properly had to be kept alive by a ventilator.
After two weeks, Ellie and dad Hassan Mockbill, 31, were told to say their goodbyes to their little boy as his lungs filled with fluid.
But one last-ditch attempt to save him by doctors saw Haris given a course of steroids for eight days, which worked against all the odds. When he reached 13 weeks, Haris was able to leave intensive care and moved to a special care ward.
His parents celebrated by holding a graduation ceremony for him, but he was so small his gown had to be ordered from a teddy bear factory.
Ellie, a community worker from Birmingham, told The Sun : "When he pulled through we just couldn't believe it. He has never stopped fighting."
A year on, Haris weighs a stone and is starting to take his first steps.
Ellie said: "He overcame everything that was thrown at him. He never gave up.
"We are a perfect little family now and it was so worth all of the fighting."
However, Haris does still face more health battles. A bleed on the brain may leave him with a disability.
"It was hard to take but as long as he's still with us and not in pain, that's all that matters," said Ellie.
"He is a true inspiration and I am so proud of him."
