A newborn babies are so small, they’re as small as a teddy bear! Then your baby begins to grow and it all happens so fast! One moment they’re smaller than a teddy bear the next they’re running around the house.
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For the parents of Matthew Riddle III, their baby could actually fit in the palm of their hand when he was born! At birth he was only a mere pound and two ounces!
Around the 28th week of Jenevieve Cook’s pregnancy, her doctors were concerned that Matthew wasn’t growing at a proper rate. The doctors decided to induce an early labor.
After his birth, Matthew was diagnosed with microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type II (MOPDII). It’s a rare condition better known as primordial dwarfism.
Matthew had to spend his first 3 months in the NICU under constant watch. During his NICU stay, doctors told Matthew’s mother and father that they didn’t expect Matthew to live much longer.
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After being diagnosed with MOPDII, Matthew’s future was looking much brighter. Jenevieve Cook told WLKY of their relief when they got the diagnosis:
“We were told Matthew would walk, he would talk, he would go to school, he would just be extraordinarily small.”
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On first impression, Matthew seems like a newborn baby due to his tiny size, but he’s actually 7 months old!
His small size makes clothes shopping really difficult for his parents. They’ve actually resorted to using clothing from Build-A-Bear and dolls.
While Matthew is currently doing good, his condition means that he will have a lot of hospital visits and surgeries to make sure he stays happy and healthy. Matthew actually just underwent his first surgery, at 7 months old, that will help prevent strokes and seizures. He’s definitely a brave boy!
Please consider donating to Matthew and his family on their GoFundMe page to help pay for Matthew’s medical costs.
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