While you may have a kitchen drawer stuffed to the brim with plastic bags of all sizes, it's unlikely you've ever given much thought to their uses beyond lining bins and carrying groceries.
One mum, who now knows the role one of these bags can play in the life of a premature baby, is 37-year-old Sharon Grant from Goonhaver in Cornwall whose newborn was on the receiving end of treatment pioneered by doctors in Zambia.
When her daughter, Pixie, was born three months premature in May, Sharon was somewhat taken aback to see doctors promptly place her little girl in a plastic bag emblazoned with the instantly-recognisable Tesco logo.
Sharon, who was transferred to Derriford hospital upon learning that her child had stopped growing inside her, explained the significance of the plastic sandwich bag at the time, saying: "The bag acted like a greenhouse, bless her."
Reflecting on the traumatic events which led up to her daughter's delivery earlier this year, Sharon explained: "We were told this awful news, so it was a really stressful time. I did not know if she was going to survive."
Sharon's daughter, who weighed just over one lb when she was born, was attended to by numerous doctors while a medical team worked furiously to lower Sharon's high blood pressure.
"There were 10 doctors dealing with Pixie and they put her in a sandwich bag straight away to keep her warm," remembered Sharon as she marvelled at the progress her child has made in five months.
"She's doing really well. It's amazing because we couldn't even imagine her being there," she said of Pixie who was named because of her size at birth.
Pixie is now 7 lbs 5 oz in weight and progressing very well.
