The world’s most premature baby who was born at 21 weeks and two days have defied the odds to reach his first birthday and learn to crawl.
Richard Scott William Hutchinson was born 131 days premature and weighed only 340g, less than 12oz, breaking a record that stood for three-and-a-half decades.
After his birth, on June 5, 2020, the newborn’s whole hand was the size of his mother’s fingertip, his eyes were fused shut and his blood vessels were visible through his skin. He weighed less than a can of Pepsi.
Several months ahead of schedule, the little fighter was so small that he could fit into the palm of the hands. The initial prognosis for him was far from optimistic.
In fact, after he was first transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis, doctors felt duty-bound to prepare his parents for the worst.
Dr Stacy Kern, Richard’s neonatologist at Children’s Minnesota said “When Rick and Beth received prenatal counseling on what to expect with a baby born so early, they were given a 0% chance of survival by our neonatology team.”
“I knew the first few weeks of Richard’s life would be very difficult, but I felt that if he could make it through that, he would be a survivor,” she added.
Richard was born at a gestational age of 21 weeks 2 days, making him 131 days premature. The standard gestational period for a baby is 40 weeks. Richard was able to finally go home with his parents Beth, 36, and Rick Hutchinson, 40 after spending six months in the hospital.
On June 5, 2021, Richard the “miracle baby” celebrated his first birthday. He was also announced by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most prematurely born baby to survive.
Beth said: “I still don’t believe it; even though the certificate is in our living room, I still don’t believe it. He was so tiny he could fit in my husband’s hand.”
This exceeds a record that stood for three-and-a-half decades. James Elgin Gill was born to Brenda and James Gill (all Canada) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at a gestational age of 21 weeks 5 days, or 128 days premature, on 20 May 1987.
Just recently, reports indicate that this was matched by Frieda Mangold, who was born to Yvonne and John Mangold (all Germany) in Fulda, Germany, on 7 November 2010 at the same age.
Beth was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) when she was 22, which can cause fertility problems. It is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age.
The syndrome is named after the characteristic cysts which may form on the ovaries. A review of the international evidence found that the incidence of PCOS could be as high as 26% among some populations.
Throughout her pregnancy, she had regular ultrasounds to make sure everything was going smoothly with the pregnancy. Beth explains, “My 20 weeks ultrasound was normal and there were no indicators than that there was anything wrong.”
A week later after not feeling well, Beth visited the doctor for a check-up and was told she was 3cm dilated. Everyone was surprised when she suddenly went into labor.
When Richard was born, he was still in the amniotic sac, so he was rushed straight to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before his parents could even see him.
It was four hours before they saw their baby for the first time.
Beth said: “It was overwhelming and very emotional. I don’t think we said anything, but we cried a lot.”
Now the miracle baby is starting to crawl and is thriving at home in Somerset, Wisconsin, USA.
The brave mom said: “Since we’ve been home it’s been non-stop. He has both of us wrapped around his finger. He’s very silly, loves to play and goof around.”
“I love being a mom. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m the oldest of five kids, so I love kids and helped my sisters raise their kids.”
“He does amazing developmentally and he’s basically on track – I think we got really lucky there,” she added.
The family-of-three has celebrated Richard’s first birthday with cake and ice cream, and shortly afterward they finalized paperwork with Guinness World Records for the toddler to officially became the world’s most premature baby.
The Hutchinson’s have only the highest admiration and gratitude for the doctors and nurses who cared for Richard at Children’s Minnesota.