This tiny baby is believed to be the world's most premature boy.
Born after a mere 25 weeks he is so small that the tape measure laid next to him is bigger than his limbs. He weighs a mere 9oz (275g) and from head to toe is the length of a sheet of A4 paper.
Doctors believe this makes him the most premature baby boy to have survived in the world and as a result of his size, the team treating him in Germany nicknamed him 'Tom Thumb'.
Tale of the tape: This baby nicknamed 'Tom Thumb' by doctors treating him in Germany is believed to be the world's most premature boy. He is pictured here five days after his birth
THE RISKS FACED BY PREMATURE BABIES
Premature babies face a number of difficulties include having problems feeding and regulating body temperature.
This is because they have less time to develop and build up their strength in the womb. Furthermore, they also have a higher risk of developing breathing difficulties and are more prone to anaemia and low blood pressure.
They may be less able to cope with infections.
Experts on medical ethics advise doctors not to resuscitate babies born before 23 weeks in the womb, stating that it was not in the child's 'best interests'.
More than 80,000 babies are born prematurely in Britain every year, and of those some 40,000 need to be treated in intensive care. The NHS spends an estimated £1 billion a year on their care.
The previous record is said to have been held by Tyler Martin who was born in New Jersey, in the U.S., in 2004 weighing 11oz (320g). The lowest surviving birth rate for a girl is just over 8oz (244g).
Doctors usually believe that babies weighing below 12oz (350g) will not survive. A can of Coke weighs 12oz, meaning the boy was weighed just three quarters of a can.
'Tom Thumb' was delivered by Caesarean section at the University of Medicine at Goettingen in Germany in June 2009.
It was only this week, after doctors decided he was strong enough for his parents to take home that they made public his struggle to stay alive.
'After studying all the relevant documents we can say with some certainty that he was the smallest child in the world to survive such a premature birth last year,' said Stefan Weller, a spokesman for the university.
Only three babies have ever been recorded as being smaller than the child delivered into the world in the emergency operating theatre at the university - all were girls.
It was only in December that the baby was finally pronounced as 'stable' in the intensive care ward of the hospital having attained a weight of 8.2lb - considered average in Germany for a child at birth.
For 24 hours a day, around the clock, the child was in an incubator and hooked up to feeding tubes, breathing tubes, a heart monitor, a catheter and a plethora of electronic devices to monitor every vital sign for every second of the day.
It is only this week that medical staff decided the boy was strong enough to be taken home by his parents. They have chosen to keep his identity secret
The boy was delivered by Caesarean section at the University of Medicine at Goettingen, pictured
And day by day he grew stronger, until this week his parents were allowed to take him home.
His true identity has been kept secret at his parents' request.
Dr Stephan Seeliger, a prominent expert on premature babies, said; 'I spoke with the parents and said I thought this child was a fighter and would make it. Well, he made it!'
The hospital says they are now confident 'Tom Thumb' will lead a normal, healthy life. A spokesman said: 'The danger has passed.
'He was most vulnerable when his organs were underdeveloped. Now he is the weight of a normal baby and healthy in every way.'
