Palm-sized premature baby discharged from Chinese hospital

TAIYUAN - An infant who was only the size of a human palm at birth was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday in North China's Shanxi province following 119 days of treatment.

The baby boy now weighs 3.3 kilograms, compared with 790 grams when he was born on Nov 8, according to his doctor, Zhang Yong of Shanxi Children's Hospital.

His mother gave birth at less than 25 weeks, making the boy the earliest premature baby to survive in Shanxi.

"When we saw him, he was as small as a palm, with limbs as thin as an adult's fingers. Worse, his organs were immature and his breath was weak," said Ji Yong, who heads the hospital's neonatal intensive care department.

The premature baby had been placed in an incubator a day after birth and was fed liquids 24 hours a day, Zhang said. "The baby and his mother are recovering well," Zhang added.

As pregnant women with advanced maternal age or high risks increase, the number of premature babies showed a rising trend in China, said Zhao Min, a doctor with the hospital.

But with the progress of medical technology, the survival rate of premature babies also rises, according to experts.