Asia's Smallest Surviving Baby at Just 400 Grams: Fact Check

Story:

Asia’s Smallest Surviving Baby born weighing only 400 grams, the same as a chocolate bar.

Fact Check:

A story shared widely online, especially in India, talks about Asia’s smallest surviving baby born weighing only 400 grams – more or less the same as a Chocolate bar. The story refers to Manushi, a premature baby born in India. She is however considered to be the smallest newborn baby to survive in India and South Asia.

Picture: Manushi in first week of birth, Asia's Smallest Surviving Baby? — Manushi in first week of birth, Asia’s Smallest Surviving Baby

Asia’s Smallest Surviving Baby-Manushi

On 15 June 2017, the premature baby girl was born 12 weeks early in a hospital in the Udaipur city of Rajasthan, India. As reported by The Hindu website thehindu.com, Manushi was born to a couple married for 35 years. Mother Seeta had to undergo premature C-section surgery after her blood pressure became uncontrollable and no blood was flowing to the fetus. The premature baby measured just 8.6 inches and weighed 400 grams at birth. She had an underdeveloped heart, lungs, kidneys, brain and paper-thin skin, and was not breathing when she was born.

The team of doctors at the hospital took Manushi’s case as a challenge and saved her life. They shifted her to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and put her on a ventilator to expand her immature lungs. Against all odds, after spending 210 days in the hospital, doctors finally discharged Manushi on 11 Jan 2018.Consequently, after the incredible survival and the determined care of parents, Manushi weighed close to 2,400 grams at the time of her discharge.

Other Cases

Neonatologist Sunil Janged said that Seeta’s daughter Manushi was the smallest newborn baby to survive in India and South Asia. Reportedly, a baby named Rajni survived in Mohali back in 2012. She weighed only 450 grams at the time of her birth.

Nirvaan, a baby born in the 22nd week of pregnancy weighing just 610 grams, survived in Mumbai. He was born to a 34 year old Bandra resident. At birth, Nirvaan in fact had extremely underdeveloped organs. He spent 132 days in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) under the care of 14 specialized doctors and over 50 nurses. Later, he weighed 3.72 kilos at the time of his discharge.