A baby who was presumably the smallest in the world at birth was discharged after 13 months in the intensive care unit in a hospital in Singapore.
Singapore (10 August 2021) – The world’s smallest surviving baby is finally at home after spending 13 months in hospital.
At birth, she weighed only 212g, which is the equivalent weight of that of an avocado. She was given a limited chance of survival, but now she’s beaten the odds by weighing 6.3kg. The previous record-holder was a girl in the United States who weighed 245g at birth in 2018, according to the University of Iowa’s Tiniest Babies Registry.
Kwek Yu Xuan was born prematurely at Singapore’s National University Hospital. She measured 24cm long, which is shorter than a standard size ruler.
Yu Xuan’s mother gave birth to her by emergency C-section after she was diagnosed with preeclampsia – a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, most often the liver and kidneys.
“Against the odds, with health complications present at birth, she has inspired people around her with her perseverance and growth, which makes her an extraordinary ‘Covid-19’ baby – a ray of hope amid turmoil,” the hospital said in a statement to the BBC.
The little miracle’s parents were able to pay for her long hospital stay through a crowdfunding campaign.