An Australian mother who gave birth to premature twins was able to bring her “dead” baby back to life by holding the infant against her body.

Doctors pronounced little Jamie Ogg dead after he was born prematurely at 27 weeks weighing just 2lb. His twin sister Emily struggled to breathe for the first 20 minutes out of the womb, but survived.

Jamie was handed over to mother Kate and her partner David so that they could grieve. After two hours of cuddling and being held by his mother, Jamie began showing signs of life.

After he was given breastmilk by his mother’s finger, Jamie began breathing normally as well.

Since giving birth in March mother Kate has spoken publicly about the importance of ‘skin-on-skin’ care (or ‘kangaroo touch’ as it is known in Australia) for a sick baby. Skin-on-skin care is when the baby is laid on top of the mother, in her arms.

Telling how the drama unfolded at a hospital in Sydney, she said: “The doctor asked me after the birth had we chosen a name for our son.

“I said, ‘Jamie’, and he turned around with my son already wrapped up and said: ‘We’ve lost Jamie, he didn’t make it, sorry’.

“It was the worst feeling I’ve ever felt. I unwrapped Jamie from his blanket.

“He was very limp. His little arms and legs were just falling down away from his body.

“I took my gown off and arranged him on my chest with his head over my arm and just held him.

“He wasn’t moving at all and we just started talking to him. We told him what his name was and that he had a sister.

“We told him the things we wanted to do with him throughout his life.”

Jamie occasionally gasped for air, which doctors said was a reflex action.

She added: “After just five minutes I felt him move as if he were startled, then he started gasping more and more regularly.

“I thought ‘oh my God, what’s going on?’ A short time later he opened his eyes. It was a miracle.”

She said they passed on a message to their doctor insisting Jamie was showing signs of life, but he sent back a midwife with the reply that they were just natural reflexes and that there was no possible way he could still be alive.

Kate then said to her husband: “What if he lives?”

She added: “I was like: ‘We could be the luckiest parents in the world’.

“I gave Jamie some breast milk on my finger, he took it and started regular breathing.

“At that point the doctor came back. He got a stethoscope, listened to Jamie’s chest and just kept shaking his head.

“He said: ‘I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it’.”

David, speaking to the Australian TV show Today Tonight, said: “Luckily, I’ve got a very strong, very smart wife.”

The doctor who delivered Jamie refused to be interviewed.