Baby born at 21 weeks and 1 day becomes Guinness World Record holder

Michelle Butler with her son Curtis

A tiny preemie baby was born last year weighing less than a pound, becoming a Guinness World Records breaker, and happily, 16 months later, the little boy named Curtis is thriving.

Ordinarily, a full-term pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, so when Michelle Butler, went into labor with twins so early on in her pregnancy, the chances of the babies surviving were minimal.

The mother went into labor early July 2020, and the babies were delivered the next day. One of the boys, C’Asya, sadly didn’t survive and died a day after his birth.

Although Curtis only had a 1% chance of survival, he clung to life in his NICU crib. After three months, the little baby was taken off his ventilator, even though if he were still in his mother’s womb he would still have been a long way from being born.

Finally, Curtis was released from his hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, in April this year having spent 275 days being cared for, which included being taught how to breathe and eat by therapists.

Butler shared in a statement: “Being able to finally take Curtis home and surprise my older children with their younger brother is a moment I will always remember,” according to a report in the BBC.

Now, outside of hospital walls, the little record breaker has three big brothers and sisters to help Curtis as he grows. And although he needs to have extra oxygen and still has a feeding tube, he is doing very well.

“I’ve been doing this almost 20 years, but I’ve never seen a baby this young be as strong as he was. There was something special about Curtis,” shared Dr. Brian Sims, a neonatologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who helped deliver the boys, with the Guinness World Records, as reported in St Lucia Times.

Although Curtis beat the previous world record breaker by only 24 hours, every extra hour counts at such a young age. His birth not only reinforces the miracle of life, but reminds us that even the tiniest baby — weighing less than a standard block of butter — has a desire to fight for life. And look what happened when he was helped!

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