A SMILEY baby boy who doctors said wouldn’t survive the first month of his life has beaten the odds to reach his first birthday.

George Mead was born at Southampton General Hospital on October 25 last year, weighing just 1lb and 14oz.

The tiny tot, who arrived 12 weeks premature, was so weak that he had to be connected to a ventilator to help him breathe.

And at three weeks old doctors feared the worst after little George, who lives in Kinson with his mum Rachel, dad Steve and big brother Jake, developed a serious chest infection.

Rachel said: “When he was born he was tiny. He was put on a ventilator for a day or two because he was so small and then he was put on C-PAP [continuous positive airway pressure], which is like a ventilator. It helps babies to breathe but doesn’t breathe for them. Then when he was three-weeks-old he got a really nasty chest infection.

“I remember we went up to the hospital and they told us they didn’t think he was going to make it to the end of the day. We were just completely devastated.”

But to the amazement of the medical team, George slowly began to gain strength and was eventually allowed home with oxygen a few weeks later.

Rachel said: “They gave him drugs to paralyse his body so he wasn’t using any of his energy. He was in hospital for a couple of weeks. We didn’t think he was going to pull through.”

“I think the staff at the hospital were very shocked,” Steve added.

“They had told us to prepare for the worst and each day he got stronger they just told us to see how things go. They didn’t think he was going to make it.”

The couple say they will be forever grateful to the staff at Princess Anne NICU staff at Southampton and Poole NICU who cared for George during the 107 days he spent in hospital. The family celebrated the miracle milestone with a party on Wednesday with close friends and family.

“It is extra special,” Rachel said.

“We just never thought he would make it to this stage. It’s incredible.”