Most premature baby ever born celebrates his first birthday

At just 21 weeks gestation, weighing only 10 ounces, baby Nash Keen entered the world fighting. A year later, his parents, Mollie and Randall, are celebrating a milestone they once weren’t sure they’d see: Nash’s first birthday.

Recognized by Guinness World Records as the most premature baby to survive, Nash’s story began with heartbreak. Just months before his birth, Mollie and Randall lost their daughter McKinley at 18 weeks gestation. When Mollie became pregnant again in early 2024, joy was tempered with fear. The Keens didn’t decorate a nursery. They didn’t make plans. They simply hoped.

That hope carried them to the University of Iowa Health Care, one of the few hospitals in the U.S. offering life-saving measures for babies born as early as 21 weeks. When Mollie who experienced the complications known as “incompetent cervix,” began to experience pressure and dilation during her 20-week scan, the Keens made the emergency trip. “The doctor’s outlook looked grim,” Mollie recalled. “She was not hopeful.” But one nurse’s optimism helped the couple hold on.

Related: I’m a preemie mom—5 things I wish I knew before my shocking delivery

On July 5, 2024, Nash was born—tiny, translucent, and impossibly fragile. A team of neonatologists began resuscitating him immediately. “Trying to put a tube through basically something the size of a gerbil vein,” Randall said. “It felt like an eternity, but it was maybe two or three minutes—and then they told us, ‘We got him. He can breathe.’”

Nash spent 182 days in the NICU, enduring multiple surgeries and defying expectations at every turn. “He’s been through a lot,” Mollie shared, “but Nash is just so chill.” His family affectionately nicknamed him “Nash Potato”—a name that stuck so well it made its way onto signs, toys, and even a community of cheering NICU nurses.

The road home wasn’t quick. Nash’s first three weeks were filled with uncertainty, wires, and machines. But when Mollie finally got to hold him for the first time, she said it felt like “pure relief and love all at once.”

Now over 17 pounds and filled with joy, Nash still receives oxygen and has a feeding tube, hearing aids, and regular therapy—but his progress has amazed both his parents and his care team. “We’re incredibly proud of how far Nash has come,” Mollie said.

Neonatologist Dr. Amy Stanford, who helped lead Nash’s care, emphasized just how far neonatal medicine has come. “Caring for a baby born at 21 weeks is very different from typical premature cases. Babies born this early require highly specialized care, constant surveillance and frequent monitoring—every hour can make a difference.”

Beyond the record-breaking headlines, the Keen family remains grounded in gratitude—for the doctors and nurses who fought for their son, and for the chance to share their story. “We never set out to be in the spotlight,” Mollie said, “but sharing Nash’s story felt important. We wanted to give hope to other families walking hard medical roads and to show what’s possible even in the most uncertain circumstances.”

Related: This record-breaking preemie weighed only 14.8 ounces at birth

Nash is a reminder of how powerful hope, community, and love can be—especially in the smallest of packages.