A mum has thanked the hospital teams who saved the life of her “miracle baby” after he was born weighing less than a bag of sugar.

Holly Burr conceived little Freddie with her last egg after two failed rounds of IVF, making him “incredibly special” to her and doting dad Matt.

After being born 12 weeks early, Freddie spent 10 weeks in neonatal intensive care, and had to be resuscitated by staff, as well as being being put on a ventilatior.

Holly, a secondary school science technician from Shepherdswell, near Dover, has raised thousands of pounds for the team at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and other east Kent hospitals.

She said: “From the first moment we spent in the unit I knew I wanted to do something to say thank you. Every single member of staff was absolutely incredible and put us at ease.

“Freddie is incredibly special to us, and it wasn’t nice to know he was our last chance to have a baby, but the teams were amazing in their care of him.

“I have been in and out of hospitals for years and they were just wonderful and we will be forever grateful.”

Freddie was Holly’s last chance at becoming a mum after a medical treatment when she was younger left her infertile.

Her son is now a thriving 17-month-old.

Holly, 32, said: “His corrected age is 14 months but he’s not just walking, he’s running, and he’s into absolutely everything.”

Freddie needed oxygen treatment for some time after leaving hospital, but his parents hope he will soon be given the all-clear.

Holly said: “I was wondering what I could do to help the unit and say thank you to the team, and my brother in law suggested a race night as he had been to one and that seemed like a good idea.”

The event took place at Dover Rugby Club, where Matt is a member, and it smashed Holly’s fundraising target, with a total of £3,257 collected for East Kent Hospitals Charity.

Holly said: “The club were so supportive and everyone was so generous; I was delighted with how much we managed to raise.

“I hope it will go some way in showing our appreciation to the NICU staff as well as helping other babies like Freddie in future.”