Latest news with #NashKeen
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Health
- Fox News
World's most premature baby thriving at 1 year old
Born 133 days early at University of Iowa Health Care, Nash Keen spent 198 days in the NICU before going home. His parents and medical provider speak about his miraculous survival.
Fox News
11 hours ago
- Health
- Fox News
World's most premature baby defies all medical odds to reach 1st birthday
An Iowa family recently celebrated a major milestone for a very special baby. Mollie and Randall Keen welcomed their son, Nash Keen, on July 5, 2024. He was born 133 days early, at just 21 weeks gestation. Guinness World Records has officially recognized Nash as the world's most premature baby to survive. Earlier this month, Nash — affectionately nicknamed "Nash Potato" — turned 1 year old, defying all odds. When he was born at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital, Nash weighed just 285 grams (10 ounces) at birth — less than a grapefruit — and measured 24 centimeters long, according to a press release from the hospital. Two years before Nash's premature birth, the Keens lost a baby girl, McKinley, at 18 weeks gestation. At that time, Mollie Keen was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, which is when the lower part of the cervix begins to open (dilate) too early, typically in the second trimester, the release shared. She also suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that can cause fertility difficulties. Six months after their loss, the Keens found out another baby was on the way. "When we went to our local doctor's office for the 20-week scan for Nash, I just had some concerns about how I was feeling, so I asked them to look at me closer — which they normally don't do at that appointment — and they found I was already 2 centimeters dilated," Mollie Keen said. A few days later, she began having contractions and was placed on bed rest. "We were devastated," she said. "We thought we were going through the exact same thing — we thought we were going to lose this baby." The medical team at Stead Family Children's Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) provides life-saving care for babies born at 21 weeks gestation and later. Fortunately, Mollie's care team was able to delay labor until just 10 hours after Nash surpassed the 21-week mark. "We want what is best for patients, so we really try to convey that we do not know what the outcomes will be for these extremely premature births," said Malinda Schaefer, M.D., Ph.D., the high-risk obstetrician who delivered Nash. "It is important for parents to understand most survival rates are low, and if babies do survive, they have a very high risk of long-term complications, even at 22 weeks." The team quickly provided medicine to Nash to support his organ development and to reduce the risk of complications, according to the release. "Sometimes babies born at 21 weeks are just too small for even our tiniest breathing tubes and intravenous lines," said neonatologist Amy Stanford, who treated Nash. "Our NICU team assessed Nash, and I was able to place a breathing tube. Once we had the breathing tube in, his heart rate stabilized and his oxygen levels were good." Even so, Nash's chances were slim, as no baby that young had ever survived. Before Nash's birth, the most premature baby to survive was Curtis Zy-Keith Means, born to Michelle Butler on July 5, 2020, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, according to Guinness World Records. He was born at a gestational age of 21 weeks and 1 day, which was 132 days premature. "We never want the parents to lose hope, but many of them are in an unreal situation, so we have to be very honest with them," said Patrick McNamara, M.D., division director of neonatology at Stead Family Children's Hospital. "I would have told his parents, 'The chance is zero, but I hope I'm wrong, and we will do everything we can to help him.'" "I want him to see his story as a source of strength." Around the one-month mark, Stanford said, the team began to "breathe a little easier." "While we knew Nash still had a long journey ahead, that was the point when we started to feel more confident that he had a real chance of going home." "It was a subtle but powerful shift – from day-to-day survival to long-term hope." Nash received ongoing care during his 198 days in the hospital, as the team monitored his heart function and brain health. In addition to receiving many medications, he also underwent surgery for a perforated bowel, which has up to a 40% mortality rate. "They were on top of it every step of the way. They really gave him a fighting chance," said Randall Keen. "They were really honest with us during the whole journey about what his chances looked like. They made sure we were well-informed and kept us involved in all the decision-making." After more than six months in the hospital, Nash was finally able to go home in January 2025. He will continue to be monitored for ongoing health issues, including a minor heart defect, and is currently being weaned from oxygen. Nash is still on a feeding tube and wears hearing aids. Although he has had some developmental delays, Nash is getting stronger and more interactive with the help of ongoing therapy sessions, according to his mother. Stanford shared her ultimate goal for Nash — "that by the time he's 5 years old when he goes to kindergarten, no one will know that he was born so early." "Nash's remarkable outcome reflects the progress we've made by building on the experiences of those patients who came before him," she added. For more Health articles, visit Mollie Keen shared that she wants Nash to know how loved he is — and "how many people have cheered him on from the very beginning." "I want him to grow up and be healthy, happy and confident in who he is. I want him to see his story as a source of strength."
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
World's most premature baby celebrates first birthday
An Iowa toddler who was born when his mother was less than five months pregnant isn't only the most premature baby recognized by Guinness World Records after recently turning one. As his mother, Mollie Keen, put it, Nash Keen is also 'very determined, curious … and he's just all smiles all the time' after surviving against what Guinness described as 'phenomenal odds'. 'Nash is going to be able to … say, 'You know what? I came into this world fighting,'' the boy's father, Randall Keen, said in an interview that Guinness published on Wednesday. ''And I'm going to leave fighting.'' The organization's database of about 40,000 records has long inspired fascination from the public. And Nash's path to that database began on 5 July 2024, when he was born at the gestational age of exactly 21 weeks at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's hospital in Iowa City. Nash's birth came 133 days ahead of Mollie's expected due date, based on a typical full-term pregnancy of 280 days, an article on said. His birth was the second time in less than two years that Mollie had given birth prematurely. She recounted how she and Randall lost their daughter, McKinley, after she was born at a gestational age of nearly 18 weeks. After the couple became pregnant with Nash, 'we were so excited, but also very nervous', Mollie said. 'We didn't get our hopes up.' Nash weighed only 10 ounces (283 grams), which is about the size of a soap bar, when he was born. He had to spend the next six months in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before he was allowed to go home in January to Ankeny, Iowa. Mollie recalled to Guinness that she and Randall 'weren't sure if he'd even survive those first critical hours. But we wanted to give him the best chance.' The baby underwent 'highly specialized care, constant surveillance and frequent monitoring' while he faced a series of substantial 'challenges early on', Dr Amy Stanford – a neonatologist who helped care for Nash – told Guinness. Yet 'he showed remarkable resilience', Stanford added. 'After those first few extremely delicate weeks, he began to make steady progress, which was truly extraordinary to witness.' As the Associated Press noted, Nash's story illustrates the growing number of extremely premature infants who are receiving life-saving treatment and surviving. Nash emerged from his NICU stay with as good an outcome as could be hoped for by medical science, as his doctors see it. At just over a year old, Nash still required oxygen to help him breathe, and he was nourished exclusively through a feeding tube. His parents had been preparing for him to try pureed foods. Nash's doctors were optimistic that a minor heart defect would resolve itself as he grew up. And he was not quite yet crawling, though he had started rolling over. None of those developmental realities had barred him from demonstrating his budding personality, Randall told Guinness. 'Whenever you call him 'Nash potato', or you cheer him on when he's trying to pull himself up … he just hams it up,' Randall said. 'It makes him want to succeed and do more.' A small gathering of close friends joined Nash and his family to celebrate his first birthday. He was feted with new outfits, educational toys, diapers and the certificate from Guinness – now that he had beaten out by a single day the organization's previous most premature baby record holder, who was born in 2020 in Alabama. Mollie told Guinness she and Randall are as happy as Nash has been. 'I love waking up to him,' she remarked. 'He's truly … the best thing that could have happened to us.' The Associated Press contributed reporting
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
World's most premature baby celebrates first birthday
An Iowa toddler who was born when his mother was less than five months pregnant isn't only the most premature baby recognized by Guinness World Records after recently turning one. As his mother, Mollie Keen, put it, Nash Keen is also 'very determined, curious … and he's just all smiles all the time' after surviving against what Guinness described as 'phenomenal odds'. 'Nash is going to be able to … say, 'You know what? I came into this world fighting,'' the boy's father, Randall Keen, said in an interview that Guinness published Wednesday. ''And I'm going to leave fighting.'' The organization's database of about 40,000 records has long inspired fascination from the public. And Nash's path to that database began on 5 July 2024, when he was born at the gestational age of exactly 21 weeks in the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's hospital in Iowa City. Nash's birth came 133 days ahead of Mollie's expected due date, based on a typical full-term pregnancy of 280 days, an article on said. His birth was the second time in less than two years that Mollie had given birth prematurely. She recounted how she and Randall lost their daughter, McKinley, after she was born at a gestational age of nearly 18 weeks. After the couple became pregnant with Nash, 'we were so excited, but also very nervous,' Mollie said. 'We didn't get our hopes up.' Nash weighed only 10 ounces (283 grams), which is about the size of a soap bar, when he was born. He had to spend the next six months in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before he was allowed to go home in January to Ankeny, Iowa. Mollie recalled to Guinness that she and Randall 'weren't sure if he'd even survive those first critical hours. But we wanted to give him the best chance.' The baby underwent 'highly specialized care, constant surveillance and frequent monitoring' while he faced a series of substantial 'challenges early on', Dr Amy Stanford – a neonatologist who helped care for Nash – told Guinness. Yet 'he showed remarkable resilience,' Stanford added. 'After those first few extremely delicate weeks, he began to make steady progress, which was truly extraordinary to witness.' As the Associated Press noted, Nash's story illustrates the growing number of extremely premature infants who are receiving life-saving treatment and surviving. Nash emerged from his NICU stay with as good an outcome as could be hoped for by medical science, as his doctors see it. At just over a year old, Nash still required oxygen to help him breathe, and he was nourished exclusively through a feeding tube. His parents had been preparing for him to try pureed foods. Nash's doctors were optimistic that a minor heart defect would resolve itself as he grew up. And he was not quite yet crawling, though he had started rolling over. None of those developmental realities had barred him from demonstrating his budding personality, Randall told Guinness. 'Whenever you call him 'Nash potato', or you cheer him on when he's trying to pull himself up … he just hams it up,' Randall said. 'It makes him want to succeed and do more.' A small gathering of family close friends joined Nash and his family to celebrate his first birthday. He was feted with new outfits, educational toys, diapers and the certificate from Guinness – now that he had beaten out by a single day the organization's previous most premature baby record holder, who was born in 2020 in Alabama. Mollie told Guinness she and Randall are as happy as Nash has been. 'I love waking up to him,' she remarked. 'He's truly … the best thing that could have happened to us.' AP contributed reporting
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Most premature baby ever born celebrates his first birthday
At just 21 weeks gestation, weighing only 10 ounces, baby Nash Keen entered the world fighting. A year later, his parents, Mollie and Randall, are celebrating a milestone they once weren't sure they'd see: Nash's first birthday. Recognized by Guinness World Records as the most premature baby to survive, Nash's story began with heartbreak. Just months before his birth, Mollie and Randall lost their daughter McKinley at 18 weeks gestation. When Mollie became pregnant again in early 2024, joy was tempered with fear. The Keens didn't decorate a nursery. They didn't make plans. They simply hoped. That hope carried them to the University of Iowa Health Care, one of the few hospitals in the U.S. offering life-saving measures for babies born as early as 21 weeks. When Mollie who experienced the complications known as 'incompetent cervix,' began to experience pressure and dilation during her 20-week scan, the Keens made the emergency trip. 'The doctor's outlook looked grim,' Mollie recalled. 'She was not hopeful.' But one nurse's optimism helped the couple hold on. Related: I'm a preemie mom—5 things I wish I knew before my shocking delivery On July 5, 2024, Nash was born—tiny, translucent, and impossibly fragile. A team of neonatologists began resuscitating him immediately. 'Trying to put a tube through basically something the size of a gerbil vein,' Randall said. 'It felt like an eternity, but it was maybe two or three minutes—and then they told us, 'We got him. He can breathe.'' Nash spent 182 days in the NICU, enduring multiple surgeries and defying expectations at every turn. 'He's been through a lot,' Mollie shared, 'but Nash is just so chill.' His family affectionately nicknamed him 'Nash Potato'—a name that stuck so well it made its way onto signs, toys, and even a community of cheering NICU nurses. The road home wasn't quick. Nash's first three weeks were filled with uncertainty, wires, and machines. But when Mollie finally got to hold him for the first time, she said it felt like 'pure relief and love all at once.' Now over 17 pounds and filled with joy, Nash still receives oxygen and has a feeding tube, hearing aids, and regular therapy—but his progress has amazed both his parents and his care team. 'We're incredibly proud of how far Nash has come,' Mollie said. Neonatologist Dr. Amy Stanford, who helped lead Nash's care, emphasized just how far neonatal medicine has come. 'Caring for a baby born at 21 weeks is very different from typical premature cases. Babies born this early require highly specialized care, constant surveillance and frequent monitoring—every hour can make a difference.' Beyond the record-breaking headlines, the Keen family remains grounded in gratitude—for the doctors and nurses who fought for their son, and for the chance to share their story. 'We never set out to be in the spotlight,' Mollie said, 'but sharing Nash's story felt important. We wanted to give hope to other families walking hard medical roads and to show what's possible even in the most uncertain circumstances.' Related: This record-breaking preemie weighed only 14.8 ounces at birth Nash is a reminder of how powerful hope, community, and love can be—especially in the smallest of packages.
