Baby Who Weighed Less Than 2 Lbs. When She Was Born Starts School

Four-year-old Georgia Whitney’s first day of school is an important milestone for her parents. 

Born prematurely in January 2021, the baby girl weighed only 1 lb., 14 oz., and spent 110 days in the hospital before she could go home, the Warrington Guardian reported.

“As parents, you kind of have to forget about the NICU and neonatal journey on a daily basis as Georgia is doing so well now,” the child’s parents, Abby Riley and Scott Whitney, told the outlet as Georgia started her first day of school at Penketh Primary School in Warrington, England.

“Or the right term might be ‘put it to the back of your mind’, but big milestones like this bring it to the forefront and make you realize just how far she has come and how different things could have been,” the parents continued, according to the outlet. 

The family did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

On Jan. 18, 2021, Abby, a mom of three, went into premature labor when her membrane sac ruptured, and she was rushed to the hospital, The Daily Record previously reported. Her doctors hoped she could wait to deliver the baby until she reached 27 weeks.

Instead, Abby went into labor on Jan. 28, when she was 25 weeks pregnant, the outlet reported. Georgia was born weighing less than 2 lbs., and her worried mom said it was hard to look at her fragile newborn.

“I couldn’t look at Georgia when she was born and kept saying to Scott, ‘She’s too small’, until they told me to listen,” Abby told the Record in December 2021, ahead of the Christmas holiday. “You could hear her tiny little cry. It was one of the scariest but magical moments of our lives.”

The couple was able to take a picture and hold their daughter once before she was transferred to the NICU. 

“She is a little fighter and a tiny version of perfection! We couldn’t be more in love,” the proud mom wrote when announcing her daughter’s birth on Facebook the next day. “She has a long road ahead of her, so lots of prayers and positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated. She is loved so much already.”

Georgia spent more than 100 days in the hospital, with her parents only able to hold her tiny hand through the incubator, according to the Record. 

In February of 2021, Abby shared a sweet photo of her holding her newborn daughter. “Cuddles may be few and far between but it makes them extra special with this little one,” she wrote at the time. 

By May, Georgia was discharged. For a long time, the infant required constant oxygen and medication, but by the holidays, she was strong and healthy, according to the outlet. 

When Georgia reached her first birthday, her parents couldn’t help but celebrate.

“Words cannot express how proud we are of you and what you’ve achieved for someone so small! A true little fighter from the start!” wrote Abby in a birthday tribute in January 2022. “You are so loved by so many and your smile captivates everyone you meet. Without doubt, this has been the scariest and hardest year of our lives but also one of the best.” 

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Now four years old, Georgia loves riding her bike, unicorns and princesses, her parents said. Their daughter also has a big imagination and loves to chatter.

“She’ll always be our little miracle,” Scott and Abby told the Guardian.