Premature Baby Was Born Weighing Less Than 1 Lb. She Came Home 9 Weeks After Expected Due Date

A baby born in Germany weighing just under 1 lb. is now thriving and is considered “an extraordinary medical success,” according to the hospital that treated her.

The infant — whose name and exact date of birth have been kept private — was delivered about four months early and survived thanks to “state-of-the-art medicine and tireless care,” the University Hospital Magdeburg said in a recent press release.

Globally, the average survival rate for a baby of her size is around 25%, the hospital noted.

Neonatologist Dr. Ralf Böttger explained in a statement that caring for newborns so tiny “places the highest demands” on both medical technology and the entire care team. Treatment involves highly complex tasks such as ventilation, delivering nutrition through infusions, and protecting the baby’s extremely delicate skin and organs — all of which require “an extremely precise and careful approach.”

While the hospital reported that there were “no serious complications,” the baby still needed nearly two months of ventilator support before she could breathe on her own.

Throughout her stay, her parents remained closely involved at her bedside, providing “great love and understanding day after day,” the hospital said.

She was finally able to go home nine weeks after her original due date and is now described as “healthy and fit.” The hospital added that its team “continues to support the family.”

The hospital also emphasized that it is known in the region for having particularly high survival rates for extremely small premature infants.

According to the World Health Organization, an extremely premature birth is defined as one occurring before 28 weeks of pregnancy, while premature birth refers to babies born between 28 and 38 weeks. The WHO notes that complications from preterm birth are the leading cause of death among children under 5 years old, accounting for approximately 900,000 deaths in 2019.