Palm-sized premature baby born at 24 weeks thrives after 90 days of intensive care

(ECNS) -- A baby born at just 24 weeks, weighing 650 grams and measuring about 24 centimeters, has been discharged after more than 90 days of treatment at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in central China's Wuhan City.

As of Thursday, the baby has reached 100 days old, with a normal weight and healthy development.

Wu Lin (pseudonym), a 30-year-old resident, became pregnant with her second child in 2024. Around 22 weeks into her pregnancy, she was admitted to the obstetrics department of the Union Hospital for treatment due to signs of preterm labor and infection.

At 24 weeks, she suffered a large-scale early placental abruption, making it impossible to continue the pregnancy. Obstetricians acted swiftly to assist in the birth of a baby boy, Chaochao (pseudonym).

At birth, Chaochao was unable to breathe on his own. In the neonatal intensive care unit, medical staff adopted a step-by-step downgraded oxygen therapy approach, helping him successfully overcome the critical breathing.

Newborns normally require proper nutrition for growth and development. The nurses successfully performed catheterization on Chaochao’s hair-thin blood vessels.

His feeding was meticulously measured in grams, gradually increasing from 0.5 milliliters to 1 milliliter, then to 2 milliliters. After more than 90 days in the hospital, he reached a weight of 2.2 kilograms and was discharged on Feb. 1 to go home.