A Baby Born At 8.6 Ounces At 23 Weeks To Be The World’s Tiniest Sᴜʀᴠɪᴠɪɴɢ Baby
Her first life accomplishment was setting a world record. A girl believed to be the smallest-ever sᴜʀᴠɪᴠɪɴɢ baby — weighing just over half a pound, or 8.6 ounces, at birth.
“She is a miracle, that’s for sure,” said Kim Norby, one of the nurses who cared for Saybie. Indeed, the chances of a ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ baby sᴜʀᴠɪᴠɪɴɢ birth at 23 weeks is between 10% and 35%.
After almost five months in a ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ unit, the baby girl, who was nicknamed Saybie by the staff, left the San ᴅ.ɪ.ᴇgo Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ instantly earned a place in the history books. Her parents decided not to allow her real name to be released. Saybie was born ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇʟʏ at 23 weeks of gestation weighing about as much as a large apple. Dr. Edward Bell of the University of Iowa, which maintains the Tiniest Babies Registry, confirmed that Saybie is the smallest baby the registry has ever recorded.
Her mother was ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴs and ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴇɴᴛ an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ after doctors discovered the baby was not gaining weight and the mother’s life was thought to be at ʀɪsᴋ. Saybie was born in an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ Cᴀᴇsᴀʀɪᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ and was initially only expected to live for an hour. Her mother and father treasured every moment with their newborn, thinking each second could be her last, but as her mother tells it:“But, that hour turned into two hours, which turned into a day, which turned into a week. While the experience was harrowing to live through, she now looks back at it as “beautiful.” said Saybie’s mother.
Her mother ᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴡᴇɴᴛ an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ after she experienced severe pregnancy complications and doctors determined that the baby was not gaining weight and the mother’s life was at ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇ risk. “It was the scariest day of my life,” “I just felt very uncomfortable, and I thought, ‘Maybe this was part of the pregnancy.’ “said Saybie’s mother.
A pink sign by her crib read “Tiny but Mighty. When she left the unit, nurses placed a miniature graduation cap on her. She is the smallest baby,But she’s mine.” the mother said
Saybie was about 7 grams lighter than the previous smallest baby, who was born in 2015 after 25 weeks of gestation in Germany, according to the registry. Hᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ officials say Saybie was discharged as a healthy 5-pound infant.