One of the smallest premature infants ever born was a female who was too small that she was just as heavy as an apple. But, through hospital care, the child survived the uncertain period of premature birth condition and was able to leave the hospital as a healthy and normal infant after 13 months.
Caesarean delivery was done because of a medical emergency that could endanger both the child and mother. Later, the infant became healthier after spending more than a year in the hospital.
The child was a mere 212g and was only 24cm long at birth, so the infant had to be hospitalized on 9 June 2020, in Singapore's National University Hospital (NUH), said the Strait Times.
The Remarkable Survival of the World's Smallest Premature Infant
Kwek Yu Xuan was born prematurely at around five months in the second trimester due to complications and weighed so insubstantially at birth. Based on records, one other to survive an excessively premature birth is a baby girl in America, reported the Independent.
Last 2018, an infant girl was born who weighed only 245 grams at birth, said the University of Iowa's Tiniest Babies Registry.
However, Yu Xuan's condition was not an easy fix; she came into the world with prematurity. To live and survive the next few months had left her dependent on a ventilator to breathe.
Yu Xuan did not fully develop most of her internal organs yet, and her condition was volatile. She stayed under intensive care for 13 months to hang on and reach 6.3 kilograms when she left the hospital.
One of the nurses at the station during Yu Xuan's stay, Zhang Suhe, who worked in the department of neonatology at NUH, said these about the remarkable survival of the smallest premature infant.
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She added that it was her first time seeing such a miniature newborn in her 22 years as a nurse. Even speaking to a professor in the division to ask if the male doctor can believe it, cited Newsconcern.
Yu Xuan stayed at the National University Hospital (NUH), where she spent 13-months long hooked to a machine and one of the lengthiest stays for premature children.
Smallest Infant Survived 13 Months Despite Slim Chance
The supreme emergency caused Yu Xuan's mother to go through a Caesarian section or C-section about two trimesters earlier. A condition called pre-eclampsia endanger the child, so the operation needed to be done.
When Kwek Yu Xuan was born on June 9 last year, her weight – 212g – was about that of an apple.
After a 13-month stay in hospital, she was discharged and is believed to be the world’s tiniest baby to survive a premature birth. https://t.co/rbJeMn7JxA
According to Wong Mei Ling, the mother, who spoke of the ordeal to the press, she did not expect the complication. She also expressed regret at the condition of Xuan, leaving her in the hospital for a long time.
She just had to wing it and hope for the best due to the unexpected condition of the birth and pregnancy.
Mei Ling was afraid for her tiny baby and that she may not survive a mistake if it does happen. Everything depended on luck if Yu Xuan can weather through.
The NUH told the parents that their baby girl had a slim chance to live after birth, but Mei Ling stuck to her guns and battled the odds.
To be sure, the odds were against the smallest premature infant born in Singapore, not counting COVID-19. Xuan stayed for a long time, hooked to machine life. The NUH said Yu Xuan was both a hope and inspiration to others, beating the odds.
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