Premature 1lbs 10oz baby so tiny he looked like a “Barbie” defied odds to celebrate his second birthday - after spending 144 days in hospital
- last year
A premature 1lbs 10oz baby so tiny he looked like a “Barbie” has defied the odds to celebrate his second birthday - after spending 144 days in hospital.
Cole Rosenburg, 33, who turns two this week, was just 1lbs 10oz when he was born on March 19, 2021 – 16 weeks early.
He was so small, doctors told his parents, Hayley, 33, and Nick Rosenburg, 33, that the tot was unlikely to survive.
Cole spent nearly five months in UC San Diego medical centre, San Diego, US, battling a brain bleed and learning to breathe independently before he was able to come home August 10, 2021.
The little lad was so small he was dwarfed by his little octopus toy which he now towers over.
Cole was diagnosed with spastic triplastic cerebral palsy in November 2022 - which limits movement due to muscle stiffness and spasms - and mum Hayley say she "couldn’t imagine life without him".
His parents are hopeful he will continue to make progress as he is able eat, sit up by himself with support and roll over.
Hayley, who owns a hair salon, from San Diego, California, US, said: “It was crazy - he looked like a Barbie doll.
“Cole was requiring a lot of oxygen and they discovered a brain bleed.
“Now he’s extremely behind.
“He can barely sit by himself and can’t stand or crawl.
“But he’s doing things they said he wouldn’t do.
“We’ve hopeful that he’ll keep progressing.
“He’s amazing.
“I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Hayley and Nick, a manager at a power support dealership, were over the moon when they fell pregnant with Cole in October 2020.
The couple had lost their son, Connor, when he was four days old on July 9, 2020, from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
She said: “We were just excited, not nervous.”
Hayley started bleeding when she was three months along, but doctors couldn’t see anything wrong and kept a close eye on her for the rest of her pregnancy.
But on March 16, 2021, at 23 weeks and three days, Hayley woke up and knew she was in labour.
She said: “I just woke up and knew – ‘I’m in labour.’
“I was having contractions.”
Hayley rushed to UC San Diego medical centre, San Diego, US, were they confirmed she was 3cm dilated and in labour.
Doctors gave her steroid shots and medication to slow her labour and she was told she could deliver anytime from the next day to 16 weeks.
While in hospital, Hayley tested positive for covid despite no symptoms and her husband, Nick, wasn’t able to be with her.
Two days later, on March 19, 2021, Hayley started having contractions again.
She said: “I went from 3cm to 9cm in 20 minutes.
“He was reach so they had to do a c-section.
“I could feel his feet coming out of me.”
After her epidural failed, Hayley had to be put under aesthetic for the birth and had no idea if her little boy had survived when she came round.
She said: “I woke up and I didn’t know what had happened.
“I asked a nurse - ‘is my baby alive?’
“She didn’t know at first, but she found out and told me - ‘he’s alive and your husband is with him’.
Cole Rosenburg, 33, who turns two this week, was just 1lbs 10oz when he was born on March 19, 2021 – 16 weeks early.
He was so small, doctors told his parents, Hayley, 33, and Nick Rosenburg, 33, that the tot was unlikely to survive.
Cole spent nearly five months in UC San Diego medical centre, San Diego, US, battling a brain bleed and learning to breathe independently before he was able to come home August 10, 2021.
The little lad was so small he was dwarfed by his little octopus toy which he now towers over.
Cole was diagnosed with spastic triplastic cerebral palsy in November 2022 - which limits movement due to muscle stiffness and spasms - and mum Hayley say she "couldn’t imagine life without him".
His parents are hopeful he will continue to make progress as he is able eat, sit up by himself with support and roll over.
Hayley, who owns a hair salon, from San Diego, California, US, said: “It was crazy - he looked like a Barbie doll.
“Cole was requiring a lot of oxygen and they discovered a brain bleed.
“Now he’s extremely behind.
“He can barely sit by himself and can’t stand or crawl.
“But he’s doing things they said he wouldn’t do.
“We’ve hopeful that he’ll keep progressing.
“He’s amazing.
“I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Hayley and Nick, a manager at a power support dealership, were over the moon when they fell pregnant with Cole in October 2020.
The couple had lost their son, Connor, when he was four days old on July 9, 2020, from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
She said: “We were just excited, not nervous.”
Hayley started bleeding when she was three months along, but doctors couldn’t see anything wrong and kept a close eye on her for the rest of her pregnancy.
But on March 16, 2021, at 23 weeks and three days, Hayley woke up and knew she was in labour.
She said: “I just woke up and knew – ‘I’m in labour.’
“I was having contractions.”
Hayley rushed to UC San Diego medical centre, San Diego, US, were they confirmed she was 3cm dilated and in labour.
Doctors gave her steroid shots and medication to slow her labour and she was told she could deliver anytime from the next day to 16 weeks.
While in hospital, Hayley tested positive for covid despite no symptoms and her husband, Nick, wasn’t able to be with her.
Two days later, on March 19, 2021, Hayley started having contractions again.
She said: “I went from 3cm to 9cm in 20 minutes.
“He was reach so they had to do a c-section.
“I could feel his feet coming out of me.”
After her epidural failed, Hayley had to be put under aesthetic for the birth and had no idea if her little boy had survived when she came round.
She said: “I woke up and I didn’t know what had happened.
“I asked a nurse - ‘is my baby alive?’
“She didn’t know at first, but she found out and told me - ‘he’s alive and your husband is with him’.