World's tiniest baby goes home healthy

Against all odds the world's tiniest baby is recovering at home with her mother this weekend after astounding doctors in Italy with her fight for survival.

The baby, nicknamed Pearl by the medical team at Florence's Careggi Hospital, was so small she could fit snugly into the palm of your hand.

Although her birth weight of 285gm is around an ounce heavier than the Guinness Book of Records' smallest, Pearl's weight plummeted to 255gm shortly afterwards.

This makes her the tiniest human being ever to survive.

Dr Firmino Rubatelli hailed her survival as a "true and proper miracle" and said he was confident she would go on to lead a normal life. "She was 25cm long, but that's when she was stretched out. Normally babies curl up and then she would fit right into your hand," he said.

Pearl was born three months premature in February and was allowed to go home on Friday weighing 2kg.