SHE was hailed as a "little miracle", and now baby Caitlan Myers has come home.

Now almost eight weeks old, Caitlan weighs just 4lb 5oz - but that is a big improvement on her birth weight of 1lb 4oz, which was less than a bag of sugar.

Caitlan was born in June to the delight of her parents, Sean and Marie, who had been told that her chances of survival were slim.

Marie's pregnancy went horribly wrong in May, when she suffered a ruptured membrane in her womb after 17 weeks.

But even after hearing that Marie's life was at risk just as much as Caitlan's, the couple decided to press ahead with the birth.

After a successful delivery, Caitlan remained in an incubator at York District Hospital, where she gained strength every day.

And the couple's faith again proved justified when they were able to bring Caitlan home to Kingsway West this week - still over a month short of her projected birth date.

"It is just brilliant to have her home," said Marie.

"We are so glad we made the choice we did. We wanted to give her every chance, and she took them, fighter that she is."

Even more remarkably, Caitlan has gained weight rapidly since coming home, going from 3lb 12oz to 4lb 5oz in just three days.

Also delighted to see Caitlan home were Marie's daughters Jade, 13, and Jenna, 10.

"They're thrilled to bits that she's around now," Marie added.

"They think she's great, and she is."

Updated: 08:05 Thursday, August 23, 2001