Born smaller than a stuffed toy, but 3lb baby Jacob now dwarfs his bunny buddy

A premature baby whose stuffed rabbit was bigger than his tiny 3lb 3oz frame is now double the size of his favourite toy.

Jacob Black was given the bunny by a family friend and it towered over him when he was born on March 23.

Mum Laura Copley’s waters broke at just 30 weeks and Jacob arrived a week later. He was on oxygen for the first 36 hours of his life and because his digestive system had not fully developed he had to be put on a feeding tube for three weeks.

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He remained in a neonatal ward at Barnsley Hospital, South Yorkshire, for a month before Laura, 33, and partner Gareth Black, 38, could bring him home. He is now a healthy 14lb 5oz.

Laura, an IT technician from Barnsley, said: “Jacob was so small when he was born and seeing the bunny propped next to his tiny frame only highlighted it. But to see him cuddle bunny now, it’s safe to say he’s come on leaps and bounds. [Bunny’s] a reminder of everything he’s been through in only five months of his little life.

“I was scared that we were going to lose him. But thanks to amazing hospital staff, he was delivered safely. When we were finally able to hold Jacob for the first time it was magical. After everything we’d been through, it was so emotional and a moment we’ll never forget. Now he’s a happy, smiley baby, just as he should be.”

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