A lady who was born in 1924 weighing just 3 pounds has celebrated her 100th birthday in Mandurah, Australia.
Emma Smoker was born in 1924 weighing just 3lb, or around 1.3kg. At the time, there were no neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) for premature infants.
Children born weighing less than 2.5kg, or 5.5 pounds, are defined by the World Health Organisation as having “low birth weight”, and those with a weight of less than 1.5kg are referred to as having “very low birth weight”.
“They kept her in cotton wool by their chest”, her sister Joy Blinco said. “She was such a tiny thing”.
Mrs Smoker was nicknamed “Bambi” by her parents due to her small size at birth.
Her family has a history of long lifetimes
At her 100th birthday celebration, Mrs Smoker said it was “overwhelming” to see so many friends and relatives. Guests included four of her seven siblings, aged between 82 and 92.
“I never thought I’d reach 100”, she said. “I’m pretty good. I don’t feel 100, I feel well in myself”.
The average life expectancy for women in 1924 was 68 years old, but Mrs Smoker’s mother lived to 95 years old and her aunt lived to 94.
She now has thirteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Survival rates have improved for prematurely born infants
Survival rates for children born prematurely, often with a low birth weight like Mrs Smoker’s, have improved significantly over the last few decades. A 2008 study looking at survival rates for a neonatal intensive care unit in London found that neonatal survival rates at 22 and 23 weeks gestation had improved over time. In 1981-85, no babies who were born at these gestational ages survived to discharge. However, by 1986-90, 19% did and this increased to 54% in the period 1996-2000.
In the decade to 2019 alone, the survival rate for extremely premature babies born at 23 weeks doubled, prompting new guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) that enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks gestation. The previous clinical guidance, drafted in 2008, set the standard that babies who were born before 23 weeks gestation should not be resuscitated.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Congratulations to Mrs Smoker on her 100th birthday! This achievement is even more amazing after her challenging start to life, weighing only 3 pounds in 1924 when medical support for unwell and premature infants was nowhere near the level it is now. We are grateful for the medical and technological advancements that make it possible for increasing numbers of ill and premature babies to survive to adulthood”.
