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Tiny newborn Charlie Jones has made history as the smallest baby delivered at Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital – tipping the scales at an incredible 360 grams.
Charlie weighs barely a tenth of the average newborn baby boy and is believed to be Queensland’s smallest ever baby, breaking the record set by ‘Coke Can Kid’ Jonathon Heeley, who weighed just 374 grams when he was born at Mater Mothers’ in 1992.
Charlie was born on October 8 at just 26 weeks and two days’ gestation and is expected to remain in Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit until January at the earliest.
Mum Samantha Jones, 28, has spent each day since her son’s birth by his cot, watching him steadily gain weight and strength.
“He is a very, very special boy,” Mrs Jones said. “At times we thought he might not make it, but he is so strong and determined. He’s a fighter for sure.”
Mrs Jones married husband Nick in October 2024, but the newlyweds were left heartbroken just two months later when their first pregnancy ended in miscarriage.
In April this year Mrs Jones fell pregnant again and the Crestmead couple began attending antenatal appointments at Logan Hospital.
“We were feeling confident as we got past the six-week mark and when we reached 12 weeks I thought we were in the clear,” Mrs Jones said.
“But at the 20-week scan we found out that he was small, extremely small.
“The doctors said my pregnancy was likely to end in a miscarriage and we should prepare for that – but he could still pull through.”
Mrs Jones suffers from epilepsy and Type 1 diabetes, factors which may have impaired her placental function and led to IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction).
She was referred to Mater’s specialist Maternal Fetal Medicine department and admitted to Mater Mothers’ at 24 weeks for monitoring.
“The Maternal Fetal Medicine team was amazing, but my husband and I had both done lots of research and we knew how dangerous things were for our baby,” Mrs Jones said.
“After two weeks in hospital the doctors told me it looked like my placenta was about to fail and I was taken down to have a c-section delivery.
“I was extremely nervous. The doctors had said they were concerned about whether Charlie would be too small for the equipment needed to keep him alive.
“I was awake throughout the c-section, with Nick sat next to me. Thirty seconds after Charlie was delivered my placenta completely stopped working – he was so close to not making it.
“They took Charlie to the recovery area and my husband went over with them. When he turned around and smiled at me I knew that the equipment was working and Charlie was now in the best possible care. I was so relieved.”
Mater doctors had estimated Charlie was 400g prior to birth, but his first weigh-in revealed he was Mater’s smallest ever baby, weighing just 360g and measuring just 27cms in length.
After more than two months in NCCU, Charlie’s weight is now 1.44kg.
Australia's smallest baby is Elora De Bondi, who was born in Melbourne in 2007 weighing just 319 grams.
Dr Pita Birch, Mater’s Director of Neonatology, said Charlie was a “remarkable baby”.
“We have had babies born at similar or smaller sizes to Charlie before, but tragically they have not survived,” Dr Birch said.
“Charlie’s story is the result of many advances in the way we care for very small babies and their mothers – thanks to research, enhanced technology and learning from other units around the world.
“But it’s also down to Charlie too. He’s a tough little guy.”
Dr Birch said the support of Mater Foundation played a crucial role in supporting the care of Charlie and the other 1800 premature and seriously ill babies that spend time in the NCCU each year.
Charlie’s parents have been enjoying bonding with their son, sharing precious cuddles and skin-to-skin time with their son by his Christmas-themed cot.
“He is definitely a daddy’s boy,” said Mr Jones. “He always calms down when I sing a nursery rhyme to him or give him a hug.”
While breaking Mater’s birth record is a big achievement for Charlie, his safe delivery and start to life is the best Christmas present his parents could ever wish for.
“I am just pleased that Charlie was able to survive and that he is with us now,” Mrs Jones said.
“That’s the most important thing to us.”
