Melinda Star Guido was supposed to be born on December 15, 2011. Instead, she came into the world 16 weeks early, one of the smallest premature babies ever to beat overwhelming odds and survive.
The tiny fighter, only a little more than half a pound and the size of her doctor's hand at birth, now weighs 4 pounds. Doctors gave her no more than a 2 percent chance of survival, but she is thriving and could go home on New Year's Day.
At birth, Melinda Star Guido was so tiny she could fit into the palm of her doctor's hand. Weighing just 9 1/2 ounces — less than a can of soda — she is among the smallest babies ever born in the world. Most infants with her size don't survive, Melinda is believed to be the second smallest baby to survive in the world.
