US boy born at 21 weeks and a day becomes world’s most premature baby to survive

Born in July 2020, Curtis Zy-Keith Means from Alabama, USA, would go on to make history. Defying all the odds, Curtis becomes the world’s most premature baby to survive. 

As weird and scary it sounds, Curtis came into the world barely amid his second trimester. Michelle “Chelly” Butler’s pregnancy appeared to be developing normally and on pace to full term at first. However, on July 4, 2020, she was brought to the hospital for emergency surgery. She was soon transferred from her local hospital to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), which is known for having one of the nation’s top neonatology and paediatric departments.

Weighing only 420 g (14.8 oz) as a newborn, he was about the size of a soccer ball

After consulting with the mother, the experienced team at the Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit delivered Curtis at a gestational age of 21 weeks 1 day (148 days) at around 1 p.m. on 5 July. His initial due date was November 11th. Curtis was 132 days – nearly 19 weeks – premature. A full-term pregnancy is typically 40 weeks, or 280 days, making him 132 days – nearly 19 weeks – premature baby. Weighing only 420 g (14.8 oz) as a newborn, he was about the size of a soccer ball.

“The medical staff told me that they don’t normally keep babies at that age,” Chelly informs Guinness World Records in an exclusive interview. “It was very stressful.” “They didn’t know if he was going to survive so they just told me to keep on praying,” she adds. Curtis responded exceptionally well to treatment. As the days and weeks passed, he grew stronger and stronger.

Nonetheless, there were numerous hurdles along the road, and he required round-the-clock care for several months. The joyous story of this boy fighting odds also has a tragic side. He was one of the twins surviving. His sister, C’Asya Means, was also born at 21 weeks 1 day, but she was less developed and did not respond to the treatment as well as her brother. Tragically, she died only a day after birth.

The chances of a long-term future for the great majority of preterm newborns delivered this early are vanishingly small. This is what makes Curtis’ comeback so remarkable. Curtis was assessed to be fit enough to go home on April 6, 2021. After 275 days (approximately nine months) of observation by a large staff at the RNICU and the larger Women and Infants Center.

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