A tiny baby boy who spent five months fighting for his life in a Mater neonatal unit after being born 17 weeks early is now home in time for his very first Christmas.
First-time parents Sasha Sami and Lexcen-Fili Penese have thanked the clinical team at Mater Mothers' Hospital for saving their son, also named Lexcen-Fili, after he was born weighing just 670 grams – less than a loaf of bread.
Following his premature birth on 31 May, doctors warned the couple that their baby's chances of survival were low.
"He was the size of my hand when he was born and I had doubts if he was going to ever make it home," Ms Sami, 24, said.
"Eight days after Lexcen-Fili was born we were on our way to the hospital to visit him and the doctor told us to rush there – we were actually getting ready to say goodbye because things were not looking good.
"Now my miracle baby is home – he is a precious gift."
Mater Director of Neonatology Dr Pita Birch said Lexcen-Fili had received around-the-clock medical care for several months in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit (NCCU) and was "lucky to be alive".
Dr Birch said Lexcen-Fili was one of eight Mater babies born at 23 weeks this year who had overcome daunting odds to survive.
"Babies born at 23 weeks usually have about a 50-50 chance of survival," Dr Birch said.
"They are so tiny and fragile and often spend months in hospital."
Dr Birch said Mater was saving more babies born at 23 weeks' gestation because of improvements in the multidisciplinary care they received.
"It is the incredible care and attention to detail of our entire multidisciplinary team that has helped so many tiny babies survive and thrive inside the Neonatal Critical Care Unit," he said.
Ms Sami, from Greenbank, said her "chunky boy" is now tipping the scales at 5.3kg, but the memory of his fight for survival in NCCU is still vivid.
"The news from doctors seemed to be bad each time – Lexcen-Fili had lots of complications but somehow he managed to pull through," she said.
"To think back to where he was then to where he is now is just incredible. He was resuscitated moments after birth and had oxygen to assist with his breathing."
Lexcen-Fili was diagnosed with Necrotizing Enterocolitis, a common and serious intestinal disease among premature babies, and also had two hernia repairs.
Ms Sami gave birth naturally to Lexcen-Fili at Mater Mothers' Hospital and recalls it was several hours before she could hold him for the first time.
Ms Sami will be holding her son tightly again this Christmas Day and says Lexcen-Fili is guaranteed to get lots more cuddles when the couple's extended family get together to celebrate Christmas together.
Pictured: Sasha Sami and Lexcen-Fili Penese with their miracle son also named Lexcen-Fili.
Pictured below: Baby Lexcen-Fili.
