Boy born at 21 weeks sets Guinness World Record for most premature baby

A baby born at just 21 weeks has been officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s most premature baby to survive.

Nash Keen was delivered on July 5, 2024, at 133 days premature, at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City and weighed only 10 ounces and measured just over 9 inches long at birth.

His parents, Mollie and Randall Keen, were told by doctors that his chances of survival were virtually non-existent. Dr. Patrick McNamara, one of Nash’s doctors, told ABC affiliate KCRG that based on available data, he had to inform the family that Nash had a 0% chance of surviving. 

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Despite those odds, Nash defied expectations and celebrated his first birthday with his family this month.

Typically, a full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks, and babies born before 37 weeks are considered premature. Those born before 26 weeks, like Nash, are classified as micro-preemies.

After spending six months in the neonatal intensive care unit, Nash was healthy enough to be discharged. His mother described him as a spunky baby with a big personality who is always smiling.

Nash surpasses the previous record held by Curtis Means, who was born at 21 weeks and 1 day on July 5, 2020, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Women and Infants Center, according to Guinness World Records.

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