The world’s smallest surviving baby has been released from a hospital in San Diego, about five months after being born prematurely, officials announced Wednesday.
The baby girl, named Saybie, weighed just 8.6 ounces, or 245 grams — roughly the size of an apple — at the time of her birth at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital in San Diego.
Her mother, who has chosen to stay anonymous, said she went to the hospital after experiencing severe complications during pregnancy. Saybie was born at 23 weeks and three days, making her a micro preemie, according to hospital officials.
After her birth, the newborn was stabilized by the hospital’s life support team before she was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Although Saybie did not have any of the medical challenges typically associated with babies born before 28 weeks’ gestation — including lung and heart issues, and brain bleeds — hospital staff didn’t immediately know whether the infant would survive.
“They told my husband that he had about an hour with her, and that she was going to pass away,” the woman said in a video released by the hospital. “That hour turned into two hours, which turned into a day, which turned into a week.”
Saybie spent about five months in the NICU before she was released earlier this month. When she finally went home, she weighed in at a healthy 5.6 pounds.
“We should celebrate this date every time,” the mother said. “It’s going to be a special one for us.”
The infant is believed to be the world’s smallest surviving baby, based on data from the official Tiniest Babies Registry. She weighed seven grams less than the previous smallest newborn, a girl born in Germany in 2015.
