how premature babies are weighed
But when they put her on the scales she weighed 1lb, the minimum weight for a baby to be considered viable, so they fought to keep her alive. It was only when she was safely on a ventilator that doctors discovered a pair of scissors had been accidentally left on the scales and that Maddalena actually only weighed 382g.
Saved by a pair of scissors left on the scales: The premature baby doctors decided to save because she weighed just enough. 1  Maddalena Douse, from Lewes, East Sussex, was born at just 23 weeks. 2  Doctors were unsure whether she would survive, or whether they should try and save her.