Born just 1lb 7oz, but baby look at you now

She was born weighing less than a bag of sugar with hands as small as an adult fingernail.

Little Poppy was unable to breathe for herself and had to fight for her life after being born four months premature with a 'bleak' chance of survival.

But the youngster is now approaching her second birthday after coming on 'leaps and bounds' and showing no ill effects from her premature birth.

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And now her parents Jennifer and Andy Richards, of The Rock in Telford, have launched a new campaign to raise £20,000 for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital's neonatal unit where staff nursed their baby daughter to health.

The couple want to raise the cash to help buy new equipment for the unit after Poppy, who was born in July 2010, spent 100 days there.

Mrs Richards said: "She is only with us today thanks to the amazing work carried out by the neonatal unit in Shrewsbury. Poppy came into this world 16 weeks before she should have. She weighed just 1lb 7oz.

"It's hard to explain just how small and fragile she was, but her eyes were still fused shut, and her whole hand was around the same size as my thumbnail.

"She suffered from some bleeding on the brain during birth and was unable to breathe for herself. She was so tiny and susceptible to infection that we were unable to hold her until she was two weeks old. From what the doctors told us at the time, Poppy's outlook was pretty bleak.

"Despite this, and thanks to the exceptional level of care she received, we were able to take her home 100 days after her birth. She has come on in leaps and bounds and so far appears to have no ill effects from being born an 'extremely premature' baby.

"She really is a shining example of the work they do."

As a result, Mr and Mrs Richards have launched the 'Support Our Miracles' campaign and are planning a series of fundraising efforts.

The first will take place on February 25, when Mr Richards will be joined by friends Paul Connolly and Robin Ward to run about 19 miles from his home in Telford to the unit in Shrewsbury.

For more information about the initiative or to donate visit www.justgiving.com/Support-Our-Miracles