One year ago, Nash Keen was born weighing less than a grapefruit and measuring just 24cm long.
It was 133 days before he was due to arrive, and once he was resuscitated, Nash was rushed to the NICU ward at the University of Iowa Health Care hospital.
Neonatologist Dr Amy Stanford, who supervised the baby’s care, said his case was ‘very different from typical premature cases’ due to the extreme timeline involved – but Nash ‘showed remarkable resilience’.
She said: ‘After those first few extremely delicate weeks, he began to make steady progress, which was truly extraordinary to witness.’
One year later, and Nash has just celebrated the incredible milestone of his first birthday.
As well as 70 new outfits and educational toys, the day was marked with a unique gift from Guinness World Records: the title of world’s most premature baby.
Mum Mollie Keen said: ‘It feels surreal, honestly. A year ago, we weren’t sure what the future would look like, and now we’ve celebrated his first birthday.
‘It’s emotional in so many ways: pride, gratitude, even some grief for how different his journey has been. But above all, it feels like a victory.’
Doctors made sure Nash was given special dispensation for extra whipped cream on his birthday cake, thanks to the special occasion.
A full-term pregnancy lasts 37 weeks, and according to the NHS, babies can typically be expected to survive if born from 24 weeks onwards.
Children born so early can have health and development issues as they have not had enough time in the womb to finish developing, so they must be given special care in a neonatal unit.
The NICU at the University of Iowa Health Care is considered to be among the best both in the US and the world.
Still, Mollie needed to wait three weeks before she was finally able to have skin-to-skin contact with Nash, who was born at just 21 weeks.
She said: ‘He was so tiny, I could barely even feel him on my chest.
‘He was covered in wires and monitors, and I was very nervous. But the moment he was placed on my chest, all my nerves disappeared.’
It was six months before Nash – lovingly nicknamed Nash Potato by Mollie and dad Randall – was allowed to leave the hospital and head home for the first time at the beginning of this year.
He remains on oxygen and has a feeding tube and hearing aids to help him with everyday life, but his parents and medical team take great pride in his progress.
Dr Amy, the neonatologist, said: ‘Watching him grow and thrive fills me with immense pride – not only for Nash himself but also for his family and the entire care team who made his success possible.
‘Nash is truly history in the making, paving the way for the care of other babies born as early as he was.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
