The baby who came back from the dead: Birth miracle after mum told son had died in the womb

At just six months pregnant Alex was given the devastating news by doctors that they could not find her baby’s heartbeat. She had been looking forward to becoming a mum again as one of the happiest moments of her life. Instead Alex Jones spent nine agonising hours in labour – planning her baby’s funeral.

At just six months pregnant Alex was given the devastating news by doctors that they could not find her baby’s heartbeat. The 21-year-old clutched her mum’s hand and sobbed for hours as they planned burial plots for the baby she knew would be stillborn. But seconds after little Cohan arrived, weighing just 1lb 11oz, midwives were stunned to see he was breathing weakly and wiggling his toes.

Alex said: “He is the baby that came back from the dead.

"It was the most amazing thing – I was told my baby had died and to prepare myself for a stillborn delivery. “It is a complete miracle my baby is here today. I really thought I was going to be organising his funeral when he was born. "When I was in labour, me and my mum were talking about plots and where we were going to bury him. “When he came out and breathed and wiggled his toes it was surreal.” The baby spent months in intensive care but yesterday Cohan, who still only weighs 14lb 9oz compared to the average of around 22lbs, celebrated his first birthday at home. Alex, who also has a daughter Maisy, three, said: “We bought him a big chocolate teddy bear cake and lots of balloons – and he loved it.

“He is still tiny, but he’s such a little fighter.” She added: “It was just about 5am as dawn was breaking. I gripped my mum’s hand and just sobbed. "I told her I didn’t want to see the baby when it was born and I didn’t want her to look either. "I just couldn’t bear the thought of seeing my dead child. I just wanted to shut my eyes – hoping somehow to block out the pain. “But then I got the urge to push and two little legs appeared. The pain was excruciating even though he was so tiny. "He came out and I couldn’t help but look – Mum squeezed my hand and we both started to cry.

“Mum says she heard a little groan and saw his toes wiggle. I was so much in shock that I didn’t notice at first. “Then the midwife realised he was alive and things went crazy – suddenly there were doctors everywhere. "My baby was breathing and wasn’t dead after all.” But Cohan had more battles ahead. Alex said: “The doctors told me not to get my hopes up because he might die.

"He was put in an incubator and I couldn’t even hold him for the first 11 days. All I could do was look at his tiny body through the plastic of the incubator. “I would put my little finger in and touch his hand. He was so tiny his whole hand would wrap around my little finger. "I would softly sing him nursery rhymes – You Are My Sunshine and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star – and I begged him to fight to live and I prayed so much. "I was so scared he might die – part of me was afraid to love him because I thought I might lose him all over again.

"Even the doctors and nurses were calling him a miracle baby.”