An odds-defying baby boy who weighed only 1lb 10oz at birth is set for his first taste of Christmas dinner after having a feeding tube removed just ahead of the festive season. Doctors feared Iarla Ace would not survive long when he was born prematurely at 25 weeks in the Royal Maternity Hospital in Belfast last October. But he has since confounded expectations to overcome multiple serious health issues, including a brain haemorrhage shortly after birth. Iarla has undergone five operations and spent a total of 127 days in hospital before finally being discharged to the family home in Castlecaulfield near Dungannon, Co Tyrone in February this year.