World's Smallest Surviving Baby Boy Is Sent Home After Months in the Hospital

Following an agonizing six months, a Tokyo family is getting their happy ending. After welcoming the world’s smallest surviving baby boy, the newborn was finally cleared to go home. The child weighed only 9.45 ounces at birth, Reuters reports.

The boy was born via c-section last August when doctors feared his life was at risk after he failed to gain weight during pregnancy. The baby spent the first months of his life in intensive care. When he finally reached 7 pounds this month, he was cleared to go home.

His mother says she feared for her baby’s life and is grateful for his good health, Reuters reports.

The previous record for the smallest surviving baby boy was a child born in Germany in 2009 who weighed 9.67 ounces, according to the Tiniest Babies registry managed by the University of Iowa. The smallest girl, also from Germany, weighed 8.89 ounces when she was born in 2015, according to the registry.

About 1 in 10 babies in the US are born premature, which means they were born before 37 weeks. So while caring for your preemie in the NICU is anything but easy, trust you’re in good company. The best way to calm your worries is to be as informed as possible. Check out expert advice on what to do if baby comes earlier than expected.

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