IOWA CITY, Iowa — Nash Keen’s life was in jeopardy in the few hours following his birth, which came 133 days early.
The baby born at a 21-week gestational age in Iowa City, Iowa, was smaller than a grapefruit as he was hooked up to dozens of monitors and tubes following his July 5, 2024, birth.
“He was born so early that we weren’t sure if he’d even survive those first critical hours, but we wanted to give him the best chance,” his mother, Mollie Keen, told Guinness World Records in a July 23 news release.
With a party hat and a cake topped with a mountain of whipped cream, Nash celebrated his first birthday as he broke the Guinness World Record for most premature baby, officials said.
Nash Keen broke the world record for most premature baby as he marked his first birthday with his parents, Mollie and Randall. (Photo by Guinness World Records)
Nash’s first year
From the minute Nash was delivered at the University of Iowa hospital, his life was at stake. Doctors resuscitated him and rushed him to the neonatal intensive care unit.
“Caring for a baby born at 21 weeks is very different from typical premature cases,” his doctor, neonatologist Amy Stanford, told world record officials. “Babies born this early require highly specialized care, constant surveillance and frequent monitoring — every hour can make a difference.” The baby weighed 10 ounces and measured 9.5 inches long, world record officials said. Despite his critical state, Nash defied odds with his resilience and the help of his medical team. “He was so tiny, I could barely even feel him on my chest,” Keen said. It took three weeks for skin-to-skin contact between mom and baby to be possible, but she described the long-awaited moment as “pure relief and love all at once.”
Nash Keen was born on July 5, 2024, 133 days before his scheduled due date. (Photo by Guinness World Records)
“He was covered in wires and monitors, and I was VERY nervous … but the moment he was placed on my chest, all my nerves disappeared,” she told Guinness World Records.
After six months of intensive care, the parents were able to take Nash to their Ankeny home in January.
A feeding tube and oxygen machine have helped Nash thrive at home through his first birthday, officials said. He also spends time at a “specialized medical daycare” for therapy and has regular checkups with doctors, his mother said.
“He’s still just a little boy, our sweet, silly, strong Nash and while the world may see a miracle or a record breaker, we see our son who loves snuggles, silly sounds and blowing raspberries. We’re happy to share his light, but we also work hard to keep his life grounded in love, normalcy and joy,” Keen said.
Parents were able to bring Nash Keen home after months in intensive care. (Photo by Guinness World Records)
‘Momentous’ birthday
Balloons surrounded the 1-year-old wearing a green party hat as family and friends celebrated Nash’s “momentous” day. “It feels surreal, honestly. A year ago, we weren’t sure what the future would look like, and now we’ve celebrated his first birthday,” Nash’s mother said. He was given 70 new outfits, toys and “a mountain of diapers,” according to officials. His doctors also gave the family permission to give him cake and whipped cream to mark the special day.
Past record holders
Nash’s Guinness World Record feat surpassed the previous record holder by just one day, officials said. Curtis Zy-Keith Means was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 5, 2020, at a gestational age of 21 weeks and 1 day, or 132 days early. He also broke the record by one day.
Richard Scott William Hutchinson was born June 5, 2020, in Minneapolis, 131 days early at a gestational age of 21 weeks and 2 days, officials said. Ankeny is about a 10-mile drive north from Des Moines.
By KATE LINDERMAN/McClatchy News
Kate Linderman covers national news for McClatchy’s real-time team. She reports on politics and crime and courts news in the Midwest. Kate is a 2023 graduate of DePaul University and is based in Chicago.