A premature 1lbs 13oz baby born 12 weeks early was so small he fit entirely in his dad's hands - now snuggles in his arms.
Sam Dudgeon, 42, gave birth at St. Thomas' Hospital, London, at just 28 weeks on 3rd January 2023, after going into premature labour.
Baby William was born weighing just 1lbs 13oz and was immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit.
The tiny tot was incubated whilst a valve in his heart closed up and he recovered from an early infection - before being moved to the high-dependency unit.
After continuing to go from strength to strength, little William was transferred to Lister Hospital on 23 March - where he spent two weeks before being discharged on 3rd April.
His parents, Sam and Chris, 35, a brand ambassador, were delighted to be able to welcome William home on April 3, 2023 - and say their "chunky monkey" now weighs 7lbs.
Sam, a finance manager, from Ware, Hertfordshire, said: "We were always told he was small, but they didn't explain to us what that meant.
"My husband, Chris, could hold his entire body in his hands.
"He looked so fragile, when he breathed you could see his ribs.
"Now he seems so big and heavy to us.
"Most people who see him say he's small and very light to them, to us he's our chunky monkey.
"It was an emotional rollercoaster and still is to some extent.
"We both cried when he was in the car ready to come home."
Sam and Chris had been trying for a baby on and off for four years and were ready to potentially undergo IVF when they conceived naturally in July 2022.
But at 28 weeks, a complication meant baby William was not getting enough blood flow from the placenta meaning he had to be born early, or Sam and Chris risked loosing their baby.
Sam went to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, at the end of December 2022 for a usual checkup but was later kept in for monitoring.
On New Year's Day, Sam was transferred to St. Thomas' Hospital in Central, London, for William to be born there as his pre-birth weight prediction (750g) was lower than the Princess Alexandra Hospital minimum (800g).
Sam and Chris welcomed baby William to the world on the January 3, 2023, and were initially worried about how they were going to get back and forth to London from their Hertfordshire home.
Sam said: "Luckily for us, we were offered a place at the Ronald McDonald house where we could live close by to the hospital and that was amazing.
"Without that I would have hardly seen him, and we would have spent loads of money on hotels and travel.
"Staying there meant I was a 10-minute walk away and I could see him every day."
Despite his small size, William didn't require the need for a ventilator and was able to breathe on his own - only requiring basic oxygen support.
She said: "When he was born, he was breathing on his own and continues to.
"He needed and still needs the support because his lungs are small and can't provide the requirements, he needs but when they grow, he will need it less.
