Photo: NUH, SINGAPORE / copyright
After 13 months in intensive treatment, a baby, considered the smallest at birth, was discharged from the hospital in the one in Singapore.
Kwek Yu Xuan registered only 212 grams -the weight of an apple- and measured 24 cm long.
Born after just under 25 weeks of gestation, well below the average of 40 weeks.
And he did history, beating the record that, according to the University of Iowa’s Youngest Infant Registry, had since 2018 a girl born in the United States who weighed 245 grams.
Wong Mei Ling, Yu Xuan’s mother, underwent an emergency cesarean section four months earlier, after being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia , a condition that causes dangerously high blood pressure that can damage vital organs and be fatal for both mother and baby.
Yu Xuan, who now weighs 6 , 3 kg , had a “limited chance of survival,” according to the National University Hospital of Singapore (NUH), where he was born.
“Against all odds, with health complications present at birth, it has inspired people to surround her with their perseverance and growth, which makes her an extraordinary baby ‘Covid – 19’, a ray of hope amid the turbulence , “the medical center said in a statement.
During his hospital stay, Yu Xuan received multiple types of treatment and relied on different machines to survive.
Doctors say her health and development progressed well under their care and that she is now well enough to be given high.
Yu Xuan still has a chronic lung disease and will need help breathing at home . However, NUH doctors say it is expected to improve over time.
The mother told local media that premature birth and Yu Xuan’s size came as a shock because their first child, a four-year-old boy, was born full-term.
Yu Xuan’s parents were able to pay for their long hospital stay through a crowdfunding campaign that raised US $ 270. 601.
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