Sonya and Adreas Sakka with their son Rishi
When baby Rishi was born six weeks prematurely he weighed 4lbs and was just 19 centimetres long.
Worried doctors induced his birth after his mother’s waters were broken by the impact of a 50mph car smash.
Sonya Sakka, 33, emerged virtually unscathed from the wreck after the A5 crash in January.
But that’s when little Rishi’s fight for survival began.
Since his birth on January 14, the Sakkas have endured a rollercoaster of emotions while their son has battled to live.
Only now do they feel able to talk about how lucky they are that Rishi, their first child – who now weighs 7lbs 2oz – is now ‘out of the woods’ and at home.
The road collision happened when Mrs Sakka was driving back home to Icknield Street, Dunstable, from work in Milton Keynes.
Mrs Sakka said: “As soon as I crashed (on January 12) I took my seatbelt off and got out of the car when I felt my waters had broken. Several people stopped to help me and rang an ambulance.”
She was then taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital where her husband Andreas, 29, joined her.
Mrs Sakka added: “The next night I started to have slight contractions and it was two days after the crash when I went into labour.”
When Rishi was delivered he was not breathing but there was a resuscitation trolley on hand in the delivery room.
At birth he was 19cm tall and Mr Sakka said he could have easily balanced him on his forearm since he was so small and light.
Mrs Sakka said: “I got to hold him all of 30 seconds before he was taken to the intensive care neo-natal unit because he was having trouble breathing.
“We then had to wait four hours before we could see him.
“If anything that was the worst part because we were told he was being worked on but we didn’t know what was happening. It’s at times like that you think the worst. He was in a ventilator for 12 hours before he could start breathing on his own. Rishi was very skinny and frail looking.
“He was put on antibiotics as a precaution because he was so tiny and he was also kept in the incubator to keep him warm for four days.
“It was horrible but I have to say the staff at the hospital were fantastic.” Rishi has now been at home with his parents for a month and is in good health.
Mr Sakka said: “We can now enjoy being a family which is great.”