ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – A baby born weighing less than a large apple has defied medical odds and is now heading home after six months in intensive care, Samsung Medical Centre in Seoul announced yesterday.
Lee Ye-rang weighed a mere 260 grammes (g) when she was born on April 22 this year at just 25 weeks and five days, setting a record as South Korea’s smallest surviving infant. A typical newborn weighs about 3.2 kilogrammes (kg).
By the time of her discharge on November 5, she weighed 3.19kg. She was breathing on her own, without the aid of medical support, the Seoul general hospital that treated her since birth said.
Premature infants under 500g have just a 36.8 per cent chance of survival, according to South Korea’s Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service.
For babies as tiny as she was, weighing less than 300g, the survival rate drops to below one per cent.
Ye-rang was born via emergency C-section after her mother developed severe pregnancy complications and was rushed to Samsung Medical Centre’s high-risk pregnancy unit.
The baby had stopped growing in the womb after 21 weeks.
That first month since birth saw one crisis after another as medical teams worked around the clock to keep Ye-rang alive. After overcoming multiple setbacks, the preemie began gaining weight steadily.
