Mother shares recovery story of baby born so prematurely he was transported in plastic bag

'I am so proud of him - he's my little fighter'

A mother has shared the remarkable recovery of her baby who was born so prematurely he had to be placed in a plastic bag.

Christina Hahn, 27, from Virginia, gave birth to her son Markcus Cropper Jnr. at just 23 weeks and six days. He weighed a mere 1lb 10.1oz and measured 7.8” long.

The tiny baby was so small in fact he had to be transported to an incubator in a plastic sack, which was about the same size as a pencil case.

Now five months old and weighing a healthier 12lbs, Hahn has shared photos of Markcus’ incredible recovery.

“It was so so scary giving birth and then asking 'is he dead?' He was just so so small,” she said.

“At lots of points we both thought that we would lose him and he pulled through - it was a miracle.”

Due to give birth on November 13, the new mother’s waters unexpectedly broke at 23 weeks, and she was admitted to a hospital in Norfolk – a two hour drive away.

Baby Markcus was kept in a plastic bag to prevent him from getting hypothermia

Ahead of the birth, Hahn and the baby’s father, Markcus Snr, 20, were warned by neonatal teams that there was a good chance the newborn might not survive.

“The first thing I said 'is he alive?' because it was so scary,” Hahn recalled of the moment she gave birth.

”It was weird seeing him in the bag - but it kept him from getting hypothermia.”

The proud parents visited their son for 12-hours-a-day

Baby Markcus also required a series of steroid shots in order to help his lungs work properly as they were so underdeveloped.

Born on July 23, 2017, Markcus Jnr. was kept in hospital for 81 days with his parents visiting for 12 hours every day.

Mother, Christina Hahn, says they "are so lucky" and that Markcus is "adorable"

Nearly six months later, the proud mother has shared a series of amazing photos of her pint-sized fighter who is now blossoming with life.

“We are so lucky, a lot of other parents have the heartbreak of going through a lot of other operations with heart defects and things,” Hahn explained.

”Markcus is adorable, I am so proud of him - he's my little fighter.“