Baby Born Weighing Less Than 1lb Healthy Enough To Go Home

A baby boy who weighed less than one pound at birth has been allowed to go home with his parents after the months since his birth in hospital.

The small child - who is yet to be named - was born prematurely at 24 weeks after stopping growing whilst inside his mother's womb. Once he was born, he was small enough to be held in the palm of an adult's hand. He weighed just slightly more than a quarter of a kilogram.

Now, he's more than 7lbs and is as healthy as he can be. He's feeding properly, and that means that he can go home with his mother.

He's something of a fighter, much like this kid...

The baby boy was born and spent the first few months of his life in Keio University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan. His thankful mum said: "I can only say I'm happy that he has grown this big because honestly, I wasn't sure he could survive."

The hospital have since confirmed that they think he is the smallest boy (at birth) to be safely discharged in good health afterwards.

One of the doctors that treated the young boy, Dr. Takeshi Arimitsu said that he wanted to offer the encouragement that 'there is a possibility that babies will be able to leave the hospital in good health even though they are born small'.

In case you were wondering, the previous record was held by a child born in Germany in 2009. The baby boy weighed only 274 grams. The Japanese boy was only 268 grams, so it was a close run thing.

In confirming their assertion that this kid is the smallest ever born to return safely home with his parents, they cited a register from the University of Iowa that compiles a list of the tiniest babies born.

You'll notice that this record that they claim is only for the boys. That's because there have been smallest girls born that have been successfully brought to good health.

In 2015, a baby girl was born in Germany that weighed just 252 grams. That's incredibly small. However, the boys are slightly more miraculous. The survival rate for tiny babies is much lower in boys than in girls.

Whilst scientists aren't exactly sure why that is, the hospital said that it could be down to the fact that the lungs of male babies develop slower inside the womb.

Either way, this young boy is now fine and has returned home. In fact, he's back at home only two weeks after he was supposed to be due, according to local media.

Featured Image Credit: Keio University Hospital

Topics: Baby, World News, News, Japan

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

@TPWagwim