Baby Moira celebrates first birthday after being born 17 weeks early as Mater’s most premature baby last year

She was the Mater’s smallest and most premature baby born last year, but one year on Moira is now a “happy and hungry” little girl.

The smallest and most premature baby delivered at Mater Mothers’ Hospital last year, who was no bigger than the size of her father’s palm, is now celebrating her first birthday and Father’s Day as a “happy and hungry” little girl.

Moira Walsh is turning one on Monday and is spending her first Father’s Day with her dad Benjamin Walsh and mum Ashlee Eager, after being born 17 weeks early at just 546g.

“She was 27cm long, I could cover her from head to toe with one hand. Now, she’s 7.9kg,” Mr Walsh said.

Benjamin Walsh and Ashlee Eager with baby Moria Walsh. Picture: Supplied.

Moira’s birth was a “rollercoaster” after she was delivered at less than 24 weeks gestation via a natural birth.

“We were given a 40 per cent chance of her surviving at all and she just kicked every goal she possibly could,” he said.

“She more or less came out and said regardless of the odds I’m here and I’m winning.”

Moira was born kicking and trying to breathe but she had to be incubated immediately in the neonatal intensive care unit, where she then stayed for the next 124 days.

Mater little miracle Moira is an extra special Father’s Day gift. Picture: Supplied.

While mum stayed by her side in Brisbane, dad headed back to their home in the Scenic Rim to care for their son, doing the daily commute to the city which could some days take over four hours.

“Four months of doing that every day of the week, it got expensive and exhausting but you do these things for your children,” he said.

“But eventually we brought her home, and she’s had a couple of hiccups – at the moment she has a chest infection – but she’s home, she’s happy, what more could I ask for?”

Mater Director of Neonatology Dr Pita Birch said survival rates of babies as young as 22 weeks gestation has dramatically improved in the past decade thanks to new technology.

“Ten years ago, it was rare for the Mater to provide neonatal intensive care to babies born at 23 weeks and we wouldn’t always provide neonatal intensive care at 24 weeks either,” he said.

“Now, we are providing intensive care for a large number of babies born at 23 weeks, like little Moira, and almost all babies born at 24 weeks.”

Other than a hearing aid and some vision problems from being born so premature, Mr Walsh said Moira is meeting all of her milestones and is “amazing in every sense of the word”.

“There’s nothing really wrong with her, she’s a happy, overly hungry little baby,” he said.

And as for future Father’s Day gifts, Mr Walsh joked his daughter would be off the hook for years to come.

“She’s kind of ruined Father’s Day forever now, because she really can’t top that one as a gift can she?” he said.