Born three months premature, Oklahoma City infant weighs just 11 ounces

Thursday, May 12th 2005, 8:39 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An infant born more than three months premature in Oklahoma City weighs less than a can of soda. Her legs together are about the size of a pinkie finger and her feet about the size of an adult's fingernails.

Kalea Lyn Allen weighs just 11 ounces and her mother, Deidra Allen of Sayre, says she was shocked at how small her daughter is.

Allen says she wasn't able to put into perspective just how little the baby would be.

Kalea was delivered Tuesday by Caesarean section after an ultrasound raised concerns of doctors. She has about a 40 percent chance of survival and doctors say the first six weeks will be the toughest

A smaller baby has survived. A girl born in September in Chicago is believed to be the smallest baby in the world, weighing eight-point-six ounces at birth.

Doctors say Kalea will remain hospitalized at least until her original due date of August 12th while Allen is expected to be released in about four days.