A baby boy born at 268 grams last summer has grown to 3,238 grams, allowing him to be discharged in good condition from Keio University Hospital in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, the hospital announced Tuesday.
According to the hospital, the baby had the lowest birth weight ever in the world among extremely low-birth-weight boys who have been discharged in good condition from a hospital.
The baby, the first son of parents living in Tokyo, was delivered via cesarean section on Aug. 28 when the mother was in her 24th week of pregnancy. The procedure was conducted urgently as there was a heightened risk of the baby dying inside the womb due to the decreasing volume of blood flowing through the umbilical cord.
As the baby's lungs didn't function properly at first, he was given artificial ventilation in a newborn intensive care. After he got drip feeding through the umbilical cord, he received breast milk in his stomach via tube. He became able to drink breast milk by himself since last month and was discharged from the hospital on Feb. 20. According to the hospital, he has no complication or disability.
The hospital said it is difficult to save baby boys' lives, compared to girls, because of slow development in boys' lungs, among other reasons. In the world, only four boys were discharged well from hospitals, among 19 girls, after all of them were born with under 300-gram-weight. A baby girl born with the lowest weight, 252 grams, was reported in Germany.
According to the hospital, his mother said "Honestly speaking, I didn't see whether he can live or not, so I am really happy for him to grow so good."
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