Freezing my baby saved her life: Little Lily was born weighing just 5lb13oz but survived after doctors put her in a cooling bag to stop her brain swelling

by doctors who wrapped her in a freezing bag.
Lily Cracknell was kept in a special cool bag for three days after her birth, lowering her temperature from 37C to 35.5C.
The freezing method- hypothermia treatment- is proven to stop babies' brains from swelling.
Doctors do not yet know why the change in temperature can have such an effect.
Lily's medical team were concerned that her brain would overheat and swell up, potentially causing brain damage.

Fighting for survival: Lily Cracknell, just days old, wrapped in the cooling bag that saved her life. Her temperature dropped from 37C to 35.5C

Miracle baby: Lily, now three years old, is small for her age but thriving. Her mother Rebecca Hasler said Lily battled for survival and is now 'boisterous and full of mischief'

Lily's mother, Rebecca Hasler, from Harlow, Essex said: 'It really is a miracle that Lily has done so well.
'We were so worried when doctors froze her body like that, but we knew that it was her only chance of survival.
Miss Hasler said her medical team sprang into action when her newborn baby struggled to breathe for herself.
She said: ‘She didn’t make a sound when she came out, and I was panicking that I hadn’t heard her cry at all.
'She was rushed to intensive care. I couldn’t believe that it had taken such a long time to get her breathing again. It was terrifying news.’

Miss Hasler had an induced labour at 36 weeks after doctors at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow diagnosed her with pre-eclampsia.
The life-threatening disease causes seizures during pregnancy and can cause the baby's heartbeat to become irregular.
She said:‘It was frightening to be told that I had such a condition.
'I knew that she was in danger, as she was hardly moving in my womb at all.
‘Doctors told me that it was best for myself and the baby if they induced labour straight away.’
The 5lb 13oz baby was transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for the specialist treatment.
She was not allowed to be touched or held in the first few days of her life.
New mother Miss Hasler said: ‘A few days after the treatment, we were allowed to hold her for the first time, which was so wonderful.
'I’d been terrified that I was never going to hold her properly and be a mum.’

Specialist care: Lily Cracknell was frozen after birth when she didn't breathe for half an hour. After three days in the cooling bag, doctors warmed baby Lily up and she started to recover

Lucky to be alive: Rebecca Hasler, 23, said: 'Thanks to her cool bag, she is a normal happy little girl. We feel like the luckiest parents in the world.¿

Beat the odds: Doctors worried that Lily's brain was overheating and swelling when she was born. But after just two weeks, she was strong enough to be sent home with her parents

Miss Hasler said her daughter, was sent home from hospital after two weeks and made a full recovery. Now, at three years old, Lily is a happy, thriving little girl.
‘Freezing her like this has saved her life, and also saved her from brain damage,’ said Miss Hasler, who lives with partner Nathan Cracknell, 22.
Miss Hasler gave birth to the couple’s second daughter Rosie in June last year, said: ‘We are so proud of her. She may be tiny, but she is such a fighter.
'She proved that when she was frozen for three days and pulled through. When we tell people that Lily was put in a cool bag, they can’t believe it.'