How A 258 G Premature Baby Was Rescued In Japan

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Happiness in the palm of your hand: the story of saving a child weighing 258 grams

In August 2018, Japanese doctors from Tokyo set a record - they came out with the world's smallest newborn boy, weighing 268 grams. Already in August of the same year, the record was broken by their colleagues from Nogano Prefecture. It was there that a baby weighing 258 grams was born. Thanks to the doctors, the health of the baby is no longer in danger. The specialists left the boy, and today he is no different from other kids.

The story of the rescue of a 258 gram kid

The plump toddler Riusuke Sekino is no different from other boys of his age. In the photo next to him is mom and dad, but this is not an ordinary family photo. The picture was taken at a press conference, which was gathered by Japanese doctors to talk about the miraculous rescue of a baby weighing 258 grams. Baby Riusuke is already a real TV star, because he can be seen not only on Japanese TV channels, but also on foreign ones.

Five-month-old Riusuke Sekino in the arms of his mother Toshiko Sekino at a hospital in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture

When Riusuke's mother was 24 weeks pregnant, the doctors decided to give her a caesarean section. The woman had serious health problems - hypertension threatened the life of both the child and the mother. A newborn boy weighing 258 grams and a height of 22 centimeters was placed in an incubator, a device for premature babies. Then the baby was fed with a tube, but today he is ready to switch to breastfeeding. For five months, during which Riusuke was in the hospital, his mother pumped milk, and doctors moistened tampons in it and brought it to the baby's mouth so that he could receive useful substances.

The smallest boy in history was observed by Dr. Takehiko Hiroma. According to the specialist, this was an exceptional case. Riusuke's blood vessels were very thin, so the process of administering drugs intravenously was very difficult. In Japan, doctors successfully care for newborns from one kilogram, but it is very difficult to save a baby weighing less than 300 grams. Moreover, it is mainly girls who survive, and among boys, mortality is still high.

Riusuke Sekino was born at 24 weeks and weighed 258 grams

It was a difficult period for the boy's parents. The baby's mother was constantly next to her son and cried. The woman was afraid to even touch him, because he was a fragile baby with transparent skin. When the child began to gain weight, it became the greatest happiness for a woman. Taking home a well-fed five-month-old baby, the parents did not hide their joy. They really wanted to bathe their son as soon as possible, because they dreamed about it for many months, during which the child was in the hospital.

Riusuke Sekino with mom Toshiko Sekino on the day of discharge from the hospital in Azumino

A few months before Riusuke was born, a baby weighing 268 grams was born, whose name is unknown. Doctors gave his mother a caesarean section, because the boy stopped gaining weight. The newborn was so small that it easily fit in the palms of the hands. Dr. Takeshi Arimitsu, who observed the baby, said that all people should know that even if the baby is born small, he can go home strong and healthy.

A child born in a ward of a Tokyo hospital weighing 268 grams

The success of Japanese doctors is understandable. In the country, premature birth is not uncommon, so specialists have long learned to act effectively in such circumstances. It is thanks to their professionalism that the baby Riusuke Sekino returned home, and nothing threatens his health.