Meet Richard Scott William Hutchinson who was born in June 2020. According to the Daily Mail, Richard weighed less than one pound (11.9 ounces) and was born at 21 weeks. He was so small he could fit in the palm of a hand.
The parents were told that baby Richard had no chance of survival.
Fast forward to June 5, 2021: Baby Richard just celebrated his first birthday!
Richard is now officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s most premature baby to survive after birth, having been born 131 days premature.
During Richard’s first year of life, his parents Beth and Rick had many struggles to navigate, especially with the pandemic. From the the Daily Mail article:
“Rick and Beth traveled one hour every day from their home in Somerset, Wisconsin, to Minneapolis to visit their son.
‘The first month they weren’t even sure he was going to make it,’ Beth told Guinness. It was really hard. You know in the back of your mind that his odds weren’t great.’
Richard slowly gained strength every day and, in December 2020, his parents were told he could go home after six months spent in the NICU.
He is still on oxygen, is monitored with a pulse oximeter machine 24/7 and still requires some meals through a feeding tube, but he is making progress. ‘We are working on getting him off all of them, but it takes time. He has come a long way and is doing amazing,’ Beth said.
‘He is a very happy baby. Always has a smile on the adorable little face of his. His bright blue eyes and smile get me every time.”
Read this family’s whole story here.
So glad Baby Richard beat the odds!