An adorable photograph of a premature baby smiling has taken the Internet by storm.
Posted by American mother Lauren Vinje, the photo has been shared more than 100,000 times and received more than 285,000 likes on the Facebook page Love What Matters. ‘Our first daughter at five days old. 3 lbs 14 oz (1.7 kg), she was happy to be alive!’ Ms Vinje wrote next to the heartwarming snap.
‘This picture was one I looked at often to get me through the ups and downs of our NICU days. Life is so precious.’
At just 1.7 kilograms, the little girl was well below the average weight of a newborn, which ranges between 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lbs) and five kilograms (11 lbs). Despite this, the tiny little girl was all smiles and was more than happy to flash a gummy little grin for the camera.
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Other mothers also took to the Facebook page to share examples of their own happy babies.
‘So beautiful, congratulations!’ One mother, Laura Flynn, wrote as she shared a photo of her own little boy.
‘My little one was 3lbs 6oz (1.5 kg) – he’s now 5 and above “average” height for his age,’ Ms Flynn wrote.
‘Everyone kept telling me that it’s the little ones who grow to be the biggest and strongest. I didn’t believe it but I do now.’
Another mother, Kate Hoffman, also shared a photo of her newborn son.
‘My sweet boy was born at 34 weeks and weighed 5lb 4oz (2.3 kg),’ she wrote.
‘After 2 weeks in the NICU he is home and growing more every day! Those smiles are the best.’
A third mother, Jill Chambers Goodwin, posted a picture of her smiling newborn.
‘Your little girl is so precious! This is my favorite picture I loved to look at during our NICU stay. Kennedy was born at 31 weeks. She weighed 3lb 2oz (1.4 kg).
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