KEY POINTS:
Baby McEvedy, born 12 weeks early, has to have his cuddles rationed until he bulks out a bit.
His parents, Sasha Skerrett and Campbell McEvedy, of Birkenhead in Auckland, take turns with their baby's 60 to 90 minutes of daily skin-on-skin contact, which is intended to aid his
growth.
But most of his time must be spent in the controlled, warm environment of an incubator, covered with a cloth to mimic the darkness of the uterus.
The baby, whose name is not yet decided, was 1.33kg when born eight days ago. At first he lost weight, which is normal, but he is now growing. Yesterday, at Auckland City Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, he was 1.18kg.
"What's he on?" Mr McEvedy asked as he arrived for his cuddle, familiar with his baby's feeding progress on expressed breast milk and the volumes he consumes.
"Sixteen millilitres, seventeen next hour," replied nurse Katie Levinson, explaining later that he is fed two-hourly.
"Awesome," said Mr McEvedy, stripping off his shirt.
His baby's early arrival, tininess and treatment are something of a family tradition.
Mr McEvedy was born eight weeks premature and at a lower-than-ideal birthweight - not that either has held back his growth.
He is now a police officer who weighs 93kg and is 187cm tall.
Mr McEvedy's mother, Ann, said her son spent six weeks in National Women's Hospital after his birth in 1973 and was healthy, which she attributed to her taking part in a trial of steroid treatment.
The ground-breaking trial of steroids to help a fetus develop when there was a risk of premature birth led to the injections becoming a standard practice internationally.
The medicine greatly reduces the risk of problems such as lung disease and bleeding into the brain in premature babies.
Miss Skerrett received the treatment at North Shore Hospital.
She was also given medication which held off the birth, but only for a day.
"He gave us a bit of a fright," she said.
Neonatal specialist Dr Simon Rowley said it was "poetic" that Mr McEvedy had been involved in such an important trial and now his son had benefited from it.
The baby boy faces weeks in hospital before he will be able to go home, but he is doing well.
"He is doing what they are asking him to do - grow and keep breathing by himself," said Mr McEvedy.
