21 weeks

[George K]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59243796

Clump of cells survives.

A US boy born at 21 weeks and a day weighing under a pound has been certified as the world's most premature baby to survive.
Curtis Means was delivered in Birmingham, Alabama, last year weighing just 420g (14.8 ounces).
Guinness World Records confirmed that Curtis, who is now thriving at 16 months old, set the new record.
A full-term pregnancy is usually 40 weeks, making Curtis nearly 19 weeks premature.

But with a less than one per cent chance of survival, Curtis clung on in intensive care.
He was taken off a ventilator after three months and discharged this April following 275 days in hospital.
Therapists had to help him learn how to breathe and use his mouth to eat.

[Jolly]

Probably that bunch of dumb redneck docs at UAB. Idiots didn't know you can't save a baby that small...

[Mik]

Amazing.

[jon-nyc]

Hasn’t 22 weeks been the record for a long time? I want to say a friend of mine had a 22wk primi survive maybe 35 years ago

[Catseye3]

I imagine the child will need close medical supervision for many years. Anything could go sideways at any time, don't you think?

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in 21 weeks:

Hasn’t 22 weeks been the record for a long time? I want to say a friend of mine had a 22wk primi survive maybe 35 years ago

From deeper in the article:

Curtis shaved 24 hours off the previous record, which was held by Wisconsin baby Richard Hutchinson, who was born just a month beforehand at 21 weeks and two days.

Before Richard, the record had remained unbroken for 34 years, having previously been held by a baby boy born in Ottawa, Canada, at 21 weeks and five days.