London - A baby who was born the size of a large onion has entered the medical record books.
At just 268 grams – under 10 ounces – he becomes the boy with the lowest birth weight to have been discharged from hospital in good health. According to The Standard newspaper, the newborn was so small that he could fit into an adult's cupped hands.
Following five months of treatment at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo, the infant weighs 7lbs (about 3.1kg) and is said to be feeding normally.
undefined"I’m happy he has grown this big because honestly, I wasn’t sure he could survive," the boy’s mother said. The unnamed child was delivered at 24 weeks and could fit into a pair of cupped hands.
The record was previously held by a boy born in Germany in 2009 at 274 grams, the hospital said, citing a registry put together by the University of Iowa.