Something seriously monumental just happened at a hospital in Japan this past week: the smallest surviving baby boy EVER has finally been given the ‘ok’ to go home to his family. The little guy spent his first seven months at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo after being born via c-section at just 24 weeks (aka FOUR months early!). 

In an article published in the Japanese news outlet, Kyodo News, attending doctor Takeshi Arimitsu reveals that the youngster weighed in at a mere 0.59 pounds when he came into this world last August.

To put that into perspective, the baby boy, whose identity has been kept secret as his family’s request, had the same body mass as half of a can of Campbell’s tomato soup. For the record, average newborns born between 37 and 40 weeks should weigh somewhere between 5 pounds 8 ounces and 8 pounds 13 ounces.

According to the University of Iowa’s global birth register, this Japanese baby boy beat the record for the smallest surviving infant by six grams. The world’s smallest surviving baby ever was actually a little girl born in Germany in 2015; she weighed in at just 0.55 pounds at birth, just shy of the newest reigning babe.

As science and medical technologies have advanced in recent years, “extremely pre-term births” (i.e. those that occur prior to 28 weeks into the pregnancy), are becoming more and more successful. The University of Iowa’s “Tiniest Babies Registry” reports that there has been an influx of survivors of “extremely pre-term births,” in the past two decades, particularly in places like the U.S. and East Asia.

As a matter of fact, of the 400-gram and less (0.8 pounds and less) kiddos appearing on the list, almost all were born at hospitals in Japan, South Korea, or the United States. Clearly, these nations’ hospitals have access to the very tools that keep these special little ones alive. It’s so sad to think that not every preemie in the world has the same shot as the tiniest baby boy.

We mean, just look at how well this little guy is doing at 7 months old!

If your heart didn’t just melt in your chest, it’s probably time that you check your pulse! We can’t believe that this little guy, who was literally the size of HALF a can of soup this past summer, is smiling and, as of this past Wednesday, finally out of the hospital.

The monumental homecoming came just two months after his initial due date. The little guy is now at a healthy 7.14 pounds. Here’s what Dr. Takeshi Arimitsu had to say while reflecting on the hospital’s life-saving intervention. “I want people to know that babies can return home vigorous even if they are born small.” 

Bravo to Keio University Hospital in Tokyo and bravo to this fighter of a baby. We sincerely hope that he and his family enjoy the strong, healthy lives that they deserve!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this unprecedented preemie. Are you a parent to a preemie? If so, how much did your baby weigh at birth? Do you have advice for parents who may be struggling with a pre-term birth?