Infant had to be 'Defrosted' Before He Could be Held by Parents

An infant had to be cooled down or defrosted for 12 hours before his parents could hold him for the first time, according to the Daily Mail.

Freddy Cooke did not breathe for 20 minutes after he was born, causing his doctors to fear he might have suffered brain damage due to a lack of oxygen. However, he was given a revolutionary treatment that helped cool down his body temperature, putting him in a state of induced hypothermia. His mother, Nicky, 30 said: "When they started warming him up again we still didn't know if it had worked. When they finally handed me a warm bundle to hold for the first time it felt like a true Christmas miracle that he had survived."

The treatment given to Freddy was a huge success. His mother added: "To see your baby cold and shivering goes against all your mothering instincts. You just want to wrap them up and keep them warm, but it saved his life. Words cannot express how grateful we are." Two years ago, Nicky and her husband, Dan, were sure that they had lost Freddy after he was born lifeless. "I was five days overdue when the contractions started but as I was a first-time mom, I was expecting a very long labor." By the time Freddy was born at nine pounds and 2 ounces, he had stopped breathing and medics called an ambulance to rush him to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

A few hours later Nicky shared: "When we saw him he was already on the ice bed. They said it was important for treatment to start within six hours of birth." As of late, Freddy has become a healthy toddler and the upcoming holiday season would pave the way for his parents to raise money and help other children.