Mason ready to celebrate his first Christmas after defying all the odds

A couple from Portsmouth are celebrating a very special Christmas this year - the first with their child who defied the odds to survive.

Mason weighed just 1.1lbs when he was born prematurely at just twenty five weeks at The Queen Alexandra Hosptial.

To everyone's joy he eventually pulled through - giving his parents the greatest Christmas present of all.

Lauren Houghton who's 21 attended a routine scan appointment at the QA Hospital, where she was told her baby was very small and could potentially arrive early.

Lauren then spent the next three days on the maternity unit before being rushed to Theatre for an emergency C-section at 25 weeks pregnant.

Brad and Lauren's son Mason was then born on 17th May 2019 at 3:32pm, weighing 1.1lbs.

Mason spent 109 days on NICU where he was very poorly, suffering with bowel problems, diagnosed with chronic lung disease and he was also attached to a breathing device for five weeks.

But the couple are now home in Portsmouth, with Mason doing much better and now being able to enjoy his first Christmas.

His parents say he's a fit and healthy bundle of joy thanks to the neonatal team at the Queen Alexandra Hospital who fought to keep him alive.