The Keen family recently celebrated a remarkable milestone as their son, Nash Keen, turned one year old. Born on July 5, 2024, at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Nash was 133 days premature, at just 21 weeks gestation. This made him the most premature baby in the world to survive, as officially recognized by Guinness World Records.
Nash’s birth weighed just 285 grams—less than a grapefruit—and measured 24 centimeters in length. Despite these dire odds, he endured 198 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), battling severe complications, including a perforated bowel with a 40% mortality rate and a minor heart defect. He also required ongoing therapy for developmental delays and is currently being weaned from oxygen and wears hearing aids.
The Keens’ journey was not without tragedy. Two years prior, they lost a daughter, McKinley, at 18 weeks gestation. Mollie Keen was later diagnosed with an incompetent cervix and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), both posing challenges to the pregnancy. Their determination and the compassionate care from the NICU team played a critical role in Nash’s survival.
Despite the initial grim outlook, the medical team at the hospital provided critical interventions, including delaying labor to just 10 hours after the 21-week mark. This allowed Nash a fighting chance, though the survival rate for babies born at this gestational age remains exceptionally low. Dr. Amy Stanford, a neonatologist who treated Nash, highlighted the shift from day-to-day survival to long-term hope as his condition improved.
Nash was finally discharged in January 2025 after more than six months in the hospital. While he still requires ongoing monitoring for health issues, his mother, Mollie, hopes he will grow up healthy, happy, and confident. Dr. Stanford expressed hope that by the time Nash reaches kindergarten, no one will notice he was born so early, underscoring the progress achieved through medical advancements and compassionate care.