Premature baby's joyous smile a symbol of hope to expectant parents

A photo of a baby snapped five days after her premature birth has captured the hearts of thousands after it was posted online earlier this week.

“Freya”’s photo, taken on December 2, 2014, was included in a post to childbirth blog Birth Without Fear by mother Lauren Vinje, ABC News US reports. 

The post explains that Freya was born prematurely as a result of preeclampsia – a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication.

As a result, the newborn had to be delivered via C-section and spent almost a month in intensive care.

"I didn't get to hold her until she was about five hours old," Ms Vinje said. 

"David, my husband, got to hold her pretty much right away. They made sure she was able to breathe on her own because with (premature babies), (doctors) are always worries about lung development.”

Freya’s photo has since been widely shared on social media, accumulating thousands of reactions and shares.

Ms Vinje said she wrote the post to remind other mothers “they don’t have to go through it alone”.

She says Freya is now “thriving”. The one-year-old will enjoy her second birthday next month.