A brain-dead woman in Poland has delivered a baby after being kept alive for 55 days so that she could give birth.

The baby boy weighed just one kilogram after being born in the 26th week of pregnancy in January.

Doctors said the premature baby showed no signs of serious complications after being in intensive care for three months and has now left hospital - weighing three kilograms.

The 41-year-old mother was suffering from brain cancer.

At the end of last year she was taken to hospital by ambulance and deemed brain dead. She was 17 weeks pregnant and her whole family wanted the hospital to try to save the child.

Doctors wanted the baby to grow as big as possible during the 55 days, but they opted for caesarean section when they decided there was a real danger to his life.

The mother's life-support system that kept her alive for 55 days was turned off hours after the birth.

It is very rare to successfully maintain a pregnancy for so long time in such complicated circumstances.