An Iowa toddler, Nash Keen, who was born at exactly 21 weeks gestation – 133 days before his due date – has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the most premature baby ever to survive. He celebrated his first birthday in July 2024.
Nash was born on 5 July 2024 at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital weighing just 283 grams (10 ounces), roughly the size of a bar of soap. He spent the next six months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before being allowed home in January.
His mother, Mollie Keen, had previously lost a daughter, McKinley, who was born at nearly 18 weeks. Speaking to Guinness, she said: “We were so excited, but also very nervous. We didn’t get our hopes up.” His father, Randall Keen, added: “Nash is going to be able to say, ‘You know what? I came into this world fighting.’”
Dr Amy Stanford, a neonatologist who helped care for Nash, said he faced “substantial challenges” but showed “remarkable resilience”. At just over a year old, Nash still requires oxygen and is fed via a feeding tube, though he has started rolling over and his parents are preparing to introduce pureed foods.
Nash beat the previous record holder – a baby born in Alabama in 2020 – by a single day. Mollie described him as “very determined, curious … and he’s just all smiles all the time”. The family celebrated his first birthday with a small gathering, where Nash received the Guinness certificate.
