Oliva, now six months, was born completely white because she had such a low count of haemoglobin – the chemical which carries oxygen in red blood cells – that it could not officially be classed as ‘blood’.
She was given less than two hours to live but survived thanks to emergency transfusions which transformed her into a glowing healthy pink colour.
Mother Louise Bearman, 31, a barrister’s clerk, told of her shock at giving birth to a “ghost white” baby whose condition was so rare she will now feature in medical text books.
She said: “Olivia was my first baby, so I didn’t really know what to expect – but I certainly didn’t think she’d be that colour.
Categories: Children, Health, Life saving measures, Medicine, Science and Technology, Technology