The world’s youngest premature baby ever to survive is now a thriving one-year-old.
Nash Keen was born at 21 weeks, one day earlier than the previous Guinness World Record holder for the “most premature baby”, and weighed just 10oz. He spent the first six months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa, but is now home.
In Great Britain, abortion is currently permitted for most reasons up to 24 weeks, but up to birth if the unborn child is deemed to have a disability.
His mum Mollie thought they would lose him. She said: “I had to take it one day at a time. I focused on the small victories and leaned hard on my support system.”
She noted: “Being in the NICU as long as he was, you’d think that he would be, you know, more fragile and stuff. And he’s not. He’s a very determined, curious little boy, and he’s just all smiles all the time”.
Nash was able to leave hospital in January. Mollie commented: “I’m really, really, really enjoying my time with Nash and just not taking a single moment for granted. Celebrating him and watching him grow has been the greatest joy of my life, honestly.”