Latest news with #Mollie
New York Post
2 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
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 of 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 of 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. 7 Nash Keen, center, laughs as he is photographed with his parents, Mollie and Randall Keen, at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. AP '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 of gestation and later. 7 Mollie and Randall Keen welcomed their son, Nash Keen, on July 5, 2024. He was born 133 days early, at just 21 weeks of gestation. Mollie and Randall Keen 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.' 7 Fortunately, Mollie's care team was able to delay labor until just 10 hours after Nash surpassed the 21-week mark. AP 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. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters 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.'' 7 Nash received ongoing care during his 198 days in the hospital, as the team monitored his heart function and brain health. AP 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.' 7 In addition to receiving many medications, he also underwent surgery for a perforated bowel, which has an up to 40% mortality rate. AP 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 an up to 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.' 7 Earlier this month, Nash — affectionately nicknamed 'Nash Potato' — turned 1 year old, defying all odds. Mollie and Randall Keen 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.' 7 Guinness World Records has officially recognized Nash as the world's most premature baby to survive. AP 'Nash's remarkable outcome reflects the progress we've made by building on the experiences of those patients who came before him,' she added. 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.'
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First Post
5 days ago
- Health
- First Post
World's most premature baby turns 1, gets Guinness World Record. Who is Nash Keen?
Nash Keen, who turned 1 in July, has already set a Guinness World Record. Keen was born at 21 weeks last year as the world's most premature baby. Let's take a closer look at how the infant overcame the odds to celebrate his first birthday read more Nash Keen with his parents Mollie and Randall Keen at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. AP Nash Keen is a miracle baby. Literally. Keen just celebrated his first birthday in July. Among the presents he received was the Guinness World Record for the being the world's most premature baby. His mother Mollie Keen said, 'Nash is so full of personality. He's a happy baby.' Here's what you need to know about Keen How was he born? Born in Iowa City last July, Keen was delivered at only 21 weeks of gestation. That's a whopping 133 days earlier than the expected due date. Weighing only 283 grams, Keen was the size of a bar of soap. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He spent six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital before finally being allowed to go home in January with his parents, Mollie and Randall Keen, to Ankeny, Iowa. Mollie said that her son slept through most nights since coming home. 'Being in the NICU as long as he was, you'd think that he would be, you know, more fragile and stuff. And he's not. He's a very determined, curious little boy, and he's just all smiles all the time,' she said on Wednesday. A difficult delivery Saving their baby, whom they affectionately dubbed 'Nash Potato', was extremely important for the parents. Mollie and Randall had already lost their first child to miscarriage. By then, Mollie had been diagnosed with a medical condition that made it difficult to carry a pregnancy to full term. Mollie feared she and her husband might lose Nash too upon discovering at her 20-week prenatal checkup that her cervix was already two centimetres dilated. Typically, doctors do not attempt life-saving interventions for infants born before 22 weeks of gestation. This is because most born at such an early stage cannot survive. However, Mollie learned that the neonatal team at Stead Family Children's Hospital was performing life-saving measures for babies born at 21 weeks of gestation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Although she went into labour days prior to this benchmark, medical intervention allowed her to postpone the birth until precisely 21 weeks. Nash Keen is photographed at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital in Iowa City at two months. AP The next month was fraught with medical scares as an entire team of doctors worked to keep Nash alive. 'One of the things I noticed about the medical team is that they were very calm,' she said. 'You never really saw them, like, get anxious or anything. And so we kind of just learned to, like, watch them. And if, you know, if the doctors and the nurses weren't freaking out, there was no reason for us to freak out.' While Dr Malinda Schaefer, Nash's obstetrician, hailed his birth — which occurred just hours past the 21-week mark — as a breakthrough in maternal foetal medicine, she did not sugarcoat the dire prospects of his survival or the strong likelihood of serious medical complications to the Keens prior to his delivery. 'Ultimately, it is not me that lives with the outcomes of parents' decisions, so it is really important to me to have honest and open conversations with parents, so they feel fully informed to make the best decision for them and their family,' Schaefer said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How is Nash's health? While Nash has experienced some complications and developmental delays common to those born extremely prematurely, his progress has been as good as medical science could hope for, his doctors say. At just over a year old, Nash remains on oxygen to help him breathe and is fed solely through a feeding tube, although he's preparing to try pureed foods. He also has a minor heart defect, which his doctors believe will resolve itself as he gets older. He's not yet crawling, but he is rolling over. 'He's learning how to stand on his two feet, which is awesome,' Mollie said. 'He's got a lot of strength in those legs.' With inputs from agencies
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Most premature baby celebrates his 1st birthday with a Guinness World Record
Most premature baby celebrates his 1st birthday with a Guinness World Record A baby born at only 21 weeks of gestation last July in Iowa City, Iowa, has just celebrated his first birthday, and among his gifts is a Guinness world record for most premature baby. Nash Keen was born on July 5, 2024 — 133 days earlier than the expected due date and weighing only 10 ounces (283 grams) -- about the size of a bar of soap. He spent the next six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital before he was allowed in January to go home to Ankeny, Iowa, with parents Mollie and Randall Keen. 'Nash is so full of personality. He's a happy baby,' Mollie Keen said Wednesday, adding that he's slept through most nights since coming home from the NICU. 'Being in the NICU as long as he was, you'd think that he would be, you know, more fragile and stuff. And he's not. He's a very determined, curious little boy, and he's just all smiles all the time.' Nash is among the growing number of extremely premature infants who are getting lifesaving treatment and surviving. Upon reaching his first birthday, Guinness World Records declared Nash the world's most premature baby, beating out by a single day the organization's previous record holder born in 2020 in Alabama. Nash's parents had already experienced the heartbreak of losing a baby when Mollie's first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. That's when she learned of a medical condition she had that might make it difficult for her to carry to full term. Mollie worried she and her husband might lose Nash, too, when she learned at her 20-week prenatal checkup that she was already 2 centimeters dilated. Doctors don't typically try to perform lifesaving measures for babies born before 22 weeks gestation as most born that young can't survive. But Mollie learned the neonatal team at Stead Family Children's Hospital was performing lifesaving measures on babies born at 21 weeks gestation. She went into labor days before that benchmark, but with medical help, she was able to stall the birth to exactly 21 weeks. The next month was fraught with medical scares as an entire team of doctor's worked to keep Nash alive and thriving. 'One of the things I noticed about the medical team is that they were very calm,' she recalled. 'You never really saw them, like, get anxious or anything. And so we kind of just learned to, like, watch them. And if, you know, if the doctors and the nurses weren't freaking out, there was no reason for us to freak out.' Dr. Malinda Schaefer, a high-risk obstetrician who delivered Nash just hours after he surpassed the 21-week mark, described his birth as a new frontier in maternal fetal medicine. Still, when consulting with the Keens before the birth, she didn't sugarcoat Nash's chances at survival or the likelihood that he would face serious medical complications if he did survive. 'Ultimately, it is not me that lives with the outcomes of parents' decisions, so it is really important to me to have honest and open conversations with parents, so they feel fully informed to make the best decision for them and their family," Schaefer said. While Nash has experienced some complications and developmental delays common to those born extremely prematurely, his progress has been as good as medical science could hope for, his doctors say. At just over a year old, Nash remains on oxygen to help him breathe and is fed solely through a feeding tube, although he's preparing to try pureed foods. He also has a minor heart defect, which his doctors believe will resolve itself as he gets older. He's not yet crawling, but he is rolling over. "He's learning how to stand on his two feet, which is awesome," his mom said. 'He's got a lot of strength in those legs.' Margery A. Beck, The Associated Press
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Iowa boy born at 21 weeks is now the world's most premature baby
A little boy born at only 21 weeks of gestation has officially broken the record for the world's most premature baby. Nash Keen was born in Iowa City, Iowa, on July 5, 2024. That's 133 days, or around 19 weeks, earlier than his expected due date. He weighed just 10 ounces at birth. The infant spent the next six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital before he was allowed to go home with his parents Mollie and Randall Keen, in January. After celebrating his first birthday this month, Nash officially received the Guinness World Record for most premature baby, beating the organization's previous record holder born in 2020 in Alabama by just one day. 'Nash is so full of personality. He's a happy baby,' his mother Mollie Keen said Wednesday. 'Being in the NICU as long as he was, you'd think that he would be, you know, more fragile and stuff. And he's not. He's a very determined, curious little boy, and he's just all smiles all the time.' Nash is among a growing number of extremely premature infants who are getting lifesaving treatment and surviving. His parents had already experienced the heartbreak of losing a baby when a first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Mollie discovered she had a medical condition that may make it difficult for her to carry a baby to full term. After becoming pregnant with Nash, the Keens learned at Mollie's 20-week prenatal checkup that she was already two centimeters dilated. Doctors don't typically try to perform lifesaving measures for babies born before 22 weeks gestation as most born that young can't survive. But with medical help she was able to stall the birth to exactly 21 weeks. 'One of the things I noticed about the medical team is that they were very calm,' Mollie recalled. 'You never really saw them, like, get anxious or anything. And so we kind of just learned to, like, watch them. And if, you know, if the doctors and the nurses weren't freaking out, there was no reason for us to freak out.' Dr. Malinda Schaefer, a high-risk obstetrician who delivered Nash just hours after he surpassed the 21-week mark, described his birth as a new frontier in maternal fetal medicine. While the boy has experienced some complications and developmental delays common to those born extremely prematurely, his progress has been as good as medical science could hope for, his doctors say. At just over a year old, Nash remains on oxygen to help him breathe and is fed solely through a feeding tube, although he's preparing to try pureed foods. He also has a minor heart defect, which his doctors believe will resolve itself as he gets older. He's not yet crawling, but he is rolling over. "He's learning how to stand on his two feet, which is awesome," his mother said. 'He's got a lot of strength in those legs.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa boy born at 21 weeks is now the world's most premature baby
A little boy born at only 21 weeks of gestation has officially broken the record for the world's most premature baby. Nash Keen was born in Iowa City, Iowa, on July 5, 2024. That's 133 days, or around 19 weeks, earlier than his expected due date. He weighed just 10 ounces at birth. The infant spent the next six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital before he was allowed to go home with his parents Mollie and Randall Keen, in January. After celebrating his first birthday this month, Nash officially received the Guinness World Record for most premature baby, beating the organization's previous record holder born in 2020 in Alabama by just one day. 'Nash is so full of personality. He's a happy baby,' his mother Mollie Keen said Wednesday. 'Being in the NICU as long as he was, you'd think that he would be, you know, more fragile and stuff. And he's not. He's a very determined, curious little boy, and he's just all smiles all the time.' Nash is among a growing number of extremely premature infants who are getting lifesaving treatment and surviving. His parents had already experienced the heartbreak of losing a baby when a first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Mollie discovered she had a medical condition that may make it difficult for her to carry a baby to full term. After becoming pregnant with Nash, the Keens learned at Mollie's 20-week prenatal checkup that she was already two centimeters dilated. Doctors don't typically try to perform lifesaving measures for babies born before 22 weeks gestation as most born that young can't survive. But with medical help she was able to stall the birth to exactly 21 weeks. 'One of the things I noticed about the medical team is that they were very calm,' Mollie recalled. 'You never really saw them, like, get anxious or anything. And so we kind of just learned to, like, watch them. And if, you know, if the doctors and the nurses weren't freaking out, there was no reason for us to freak out.' Dr. Malinda Schaefer, a high-risk obstetrician who delivered Nash just hours after he surpassed the 21-week mark, described his birth as a new frontier in maternal fetal medicine. While the boy has experienced some complications and developmental delays common to those born extremely prematurely, his progress has been as good as medical science could hope for, his doctors say. At just over a year old, Nash remains on oxygen to help him breathe and is fed solely through a feeding tube, although he's preparing to try pureed foods. He also has a minor heart defect, which his doctors believe will resolve itself as he gets older. He's not yet crawling, but he is rolling over. "He's learning how to stand on his two feet, which is awesome," his mother said. 'He's got a lot of strength in those legs.'
