In Alabama, USA, Curtis, a baby born after just 21 weeks and one day of gestation became the record holder for the world’s youngest surviving preemie.
- Curtis weighed less than 500 grams at birth, the equivalent of a football.
- At birth, her twin did not survive.
- He spent 275 days in hospital with daily monitoring before he was able to return home.
This November 11, Curtis should have celebrated his first birthday. Should have, because the little American born in the State of Alabama celebrated it four months earlier, on July 5th. Now in good health, the one who was born after only 21 weeks of gestation with a weight not exceeding 500 grams obtained the Guinness World Records for the most premature baby in the world to have survived.
The weight of a soccer ball
The start of summer 2020 has been full of twists and turns for Michelle Butler. Then five months pregnant with twins, the American rushed for emergency labor at the University of Alabama hospital in Birmingham (UAB). On July 5, she gave birth to her two children, four months ahead of schedule. Only one baby, Curtis, survived. Her sister, C’Asya, was much less developed and died a day later due to complications.
The chances of survival after only 21 weeks and one day of gestation were very low for Curtis. “Survival at this gestational age has never happened before, so before Curtis was born, his chances of survival were well below 1%.said Dr. Colm Travers, assistant professor in UAB’s Division of Neonatology. When he came out of his mother’s womb, little Curtis weighed less than 500 grams, the equivalent of a football.
A stabilized state
The newborn was placed on constant treatment. During his first three months of life, he remained on a ventilator and spent a total of 275 days in hospital with round-the-clock care. He was finally allowed to return home on April 6. Curtis continues to take some medication and special treatment, including a feeding tube and bottled oxygen, but his condition has stabilized.
He broke the world record for premature babies by just one day. The previous baby who held the record is Richard Hutchinson, born just a month before Curtis, on June 5, 2020, in Wisconsin. Before, the world record had stood unbroken for 34 years.
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