A miracle can happen! The world’s smallest baby was born four months early. At that time, Kwek Yu Xuan’s survival rate was around 70 per cent. Xuan’s weight was only 212 grams at the time of birth, that is equal to the weight of an apple and measured just 24 cm in length. After 13 months of treatment in ICU, the baby survived and was discharged from the Singaporean hospital. The baby is considered the smallest baby in the world. A normal baby is born around 40 weeks and this girl was born at just under 25 weeks.
Smallest Born Baby Records
Kwek Yu Xuan broke the previous record for the world’s smallest baby. According to the University of Iowa’s Tiniest Babies Registry, previously the record was held by a girl who weighed around 245 grams, born in the United States in 2018. Yu Xuan’s mother delivered the baby by emergency C-section as she was diagnosed with preeclampsia. It is a pregnancy complication that can cause high blood pressure and damage another organ system, particularly kidneys and liver. It develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy among women whose blood pressure appears normal. Preeclampsia can be threatening to both baby and mother.
Yu Xuan is healthier now and her weight is 14 pounds (6.3kg). According to Singapore’s National University Hospital (NUH), where the baby was born, she had less chance of survival after the premature delivery. The hospital said in a statement that after all the difficulties, with health complications present at birth, the baby inspired people with her growth and perseverance. It makes her an extraordinary ‘Covid-19’ baby who was a ray of hope during the turmoil. Yu Xuan underwent multiple treatments and relied on many medicines to survive during her 13 month period of hospitalization. Doctors stated that her health condition and development improved well under their proper care. She is doing well, can be discharged. Yu Xuan has chronic lung disease. She needs help with her breathing at home. But NUH doctors say she will get better with time. Her mother Wong Mei Ling shared to local media that Yu Xuan’s birth and size was shocking. Yu Xuan’s parents paid S$366,884 ($270,601, £195,188) for their child’s long hospital stay. They earned the amount through a crowdfunding campaign.
The hospital said in a statement that Yu Xian is an ‘extraordinary Covid-19 baby’. Babies who are born four weeks are considered premature babies and have a survival rate of around 70 per cent. Premature babies will discharge after four to six months of hospitalization, according to NUH.
