Baby in China as small as diaper survives

"I want to mother so much, at least let me give the gift of life."

Her son was delivered by c-section.

He weighed the same as two big apples, and was just 35 centimeters long.

"It was the smallest baby I have ever seen," said Tang's doctor Zhang Ying.

"His head was the same size as my fist, and his arms were as thick as a thumb. A diaper could almost cover him."

Premature babies are not unknown in China.

In 2014, a 660-gram girl, Li Siyuan, was born, her body was about the length of a chopstick.

She only survived for 19 days.

About 1.8 million premature babies are born every year in China.

Their organs are often not well developed, and this reduces their chance of survival.

Tang's baby boy was six weeks premature and his lungs were not developed enough so he was kept in an incubator, and feed through a drip.

However, over the past three months, he has flourished and now weighs more 2.5 kilograms.

Zhang Ying said the baby's nervous and cognitive systems are developing normally.

"He will need to have a health check every one or two months," Zhang said.

Tang was overjoyed to hold the baby in her arms.

"I just hope that he grows up peacefully and healthily," she said.