World's most premature baby fights all odds to celebrate first birthday

The world’s most premature baby has survived a year after braving difficulties. The baby was born five months prematurely at Children’s Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to the Guinness World Records, this makes Richard Scott William Hutchinson the world’s most premature baby to survive after birth. Upon birth, the baby weighed less than half a kilogram and the doctors were expecting things to get worse from there. Medical complications had forced the baby’s mother Beth Hutchinson into labour way earlier than expected.

But beating all odds, the baby just celebrated its first birthday. According to Guinness, the baby was so small that the parents were able to hold it in a single palm of their hands after birth.

Richard’s neonatologist at the hospital, Dr Stacy Kern told Guinness that when the baby was born, the parents were given a 0 per cent chance of survival by their experts.

After a complicated birth like this one, the first few weeks decide the fate of the baby. And Richard pulled through for an entire year and hopefully more. The journey to get here wasn’t easy though. Coronavirus restrictions prevented Richard’s parents from staying with him at the hospital and they had to travel daily from their home in St Croix County in Wisconsin to Minneapolis.

In December 2020, baby Richard was allowed to go home only after spending six months in the hospital. June 5 marked the first birthday of the baby, which the family celebrated with fervour.

Richard’s mother Beth told Guinness - “It doesn’t feel real”. Adding, she said that they were still surprised by the baby’s perseverance. “But we’re happy”, she added.