Born at just 21 weeks, Nash Keene from Iowa has become the world’s youngest surviving baby, setting a Guinness World Record and defying medical odds with an inspiring journey of survival.
Bureau Report | August 1, 2025: A heartwarming story of survival has captured global attention, as baby Nash Keene from Iowa, USA, has officially been declared the world’s most premature surviving baby by Guinness World Records (GWR). Born on July 5, 2024, at just 21 weeks of gestation—a staggering 133 days before his due date—Nash weighed only 285 grams (10 ounces) and measured 24 cm in length, roughly the size of a grapefruit.
Nicknamed “Nash Potato” by his family, the tiny fighter was delivered at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital. After spending nearly six months in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Nash was finally strong enough to go home with his parents, Molly and Randall Keene, in January 2025.
Nash’s journey has now broken the previous record set by a baby born in Alabama in 2020—by just one day. Despite the overwhelming odds and early uncertainties, Nash celebrated his first birthday last month, an emotional milestone that marked not just a personal triumph, but a global record of resilience.
His mother, Molly, shared her emotional reflections:
“To be honest, it feels surreal. A year ago, we weren’t sure about his future, and now we’ve celebrated his first birthday. It’s emotional in many ways. I feel proud and a little sad about how different his journey has been. But most importantly, it feels like a victory.”
Nash’s birth followed a routine 20-week prenatal checkup, where doctors discovered Molly’s uterus was already 2 cm dilated. Labor began just days later. At birth, Molly recalls not even being able to feel Nash on her chest due to his tiny size and the multitude of wires and monitors.
“I was so scared… but as soon as he was placed on my chest, all my nerves went away,” she said.
Though Nash still requires extra medical support, his condition has been steadily improving. His story is now inspiring hope across the world for families of extremely premature babies.
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