A brave mum told by doctors her premature baby would die is raising money for the QEQM Hospital to say thank you for helping her tiny son survive.

Abbie Freer, of Cannon Road, Ramsgate, gave birth at just 23 weeks pregnant, with medical professionals telling her to expect the worst.

Her minute bundle, who she was unable to hold for seven weeks, weighed just 1lb 1oz (480g).

But the little boy – who she named Ares after the Greek god of war – defied the odds, and nearly nine months on he is happy and healthy, and giggling with his two big sisters, Ava, four, and Aria, two.

Miss Freer, who is a sports coach at Motiv8, said: “Before he was born, doctors in London sat me down to tell me he was expected to be very poorly and he might not make it.

“They said we could just let him go and they wouldn’t try to save him if that’s what we wanted. I just said ‘don’t be silly’.”

The 21-year-old – whose second child was born prematurely at 27 weeks – was sent to Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital to give birth as the QEQM in Margate does not have a neonatal intensive care unit and the William Harvey in Ashford had no beds available.

Miss Freer said: “The QEQM has a special care baby unit, but that’s for babies born from 32 weeks.

“It meant I had to go to London. When he was born the doctors had to resuscitate him, he wasn’t moving.

“About six hours later I really wanted to see him. They wouldn’t let me because they were still working on him and couldn’t get him stable.

“I went up there with my mum and looked through the window and there were so many doctors, consultants – everyone was around him.

“The consultant took me into a quiet room and told me he wasn’t going to make it through the night.

“They said if I wanted to turn the machine off, take him out and hold him, I could.

“I broke down. I’ve never cried like that before in my life.

“Because I’ve got a daughter who was premature, who is completely fine now, I said ‘I’m not giving up on him’.

“I never thought Ares wouldn’t make it – I never thought he would die.”

Ares was failing to respond to a respirator and all Miss Freer could do was talk to him and lay her hand gently on him.

She said: “He started to respond when I did that. The doctors came over and gave him more medication so I don’t think it was just me, but I like to think he started to respond better because I was with him.”

At 12 days old he was transferred to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to have emergency surgery on a perforated bowel and Miss Freer, whose partner Ashuk, 24, is in the Army, was told he was unlikely to make it through the operation. But again the little fighter battled on.

Eventually, after four months in London, he was transferred to Ashford and then Margate, where he spent four weeks in the special care baby unit.

Miss Freer said: “The QEQM was amazing – Ares wouldn’t be here today without their care and support.

“The staff treat babies as if they are their own. I felt comfortable leaving my baby with them.

“I didn’t have to worry when I went home to see my daughters.”

But she admits she feels the hospital is “forgotten”, saying: “From my experience being in other hospitals, where the facilities are amazing, I feel the QEQM is left behind.

“It doesn’t seem to get the same support as the hospitals in London, so I want to do something for them. That’s why I’m raising this money.”

Miss Freer, whose mum also had premature babies, has set up a JustGiving page and is also holding a Christmas display at her mum’s house in Park Road, Ramsgate, to raise funds.

“This money would help the SCBU and babies massively and would be greatly appreciated,” she said.

Now, aged almost nine months, Ares weighs 14lb and will hopefully breathe on his own, without oxygen, by January.

“It’s made my partner and I stronger,” Miss Freer said.

To donate go to Abbie's JustGiving page.