'Nano-preemie' born at just over 12 ounces is India’s smallest surviving baby

In an astounding feat of medical science and human resilience, a baby girl born weighing only 350 grams (approximately 12.4 ounces) has become the smallest surviving infant in India. 

Key Takeaways:

• A baby girl has set a record as the smallest surviving preemie born in India.

• She was born in June in Mumbai at 25 weeks, weighing 350 grams (12.4 oz) and spent 124 days in the NICU.

• When she was discharged to go home, she weighed just under four pounds.

The Details:

Born prematurely at 25 weeks of gestation on June 30, 2025, at Surya Hospital in Mumbai, this “nano preemie” defied expectations to survive after spending 124 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The baby girl’s survival is being praised as extraordinary and a reflection of how much neonatal care in India has progressed over the years. 

“She weighed less than an apple & was smaller than an adult's palm,” declared neonatologist Dr Nandkishor Kabra, who intubated the baby (whose family is not being named) within minutes and gave surfactant therapy to support her lungs. 

Over the next four months, the baby girl fought through various ailments, including respiratory distress syndrome, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), mild bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), cytomegalovirus infection, retinopathy of prematurity, and anemia.

The baby also needed several blood transfusions, insulin, and painstaking supervision for electrolyte imbalances and bone mineral deficiencies. Throughout this period, the NICU team offered advanced ventilation support, treated infections with antibiotics, controlled sugar swings, and closely kept tabs on the baby’s health, significantly contributing to her growth and recuperation. 

In comments quoted by media outlet Daiji World, senior neonatologist Dr. Hari Balasubramanian testified, “Every day was a fight. We treated infections, stabilised her lungs, managed sugar swings and monitored her neurological development. Her survival is nothing short of a miracle.” 

On November 1, following 124 days in intensive care, the infant left Surya Hospital.

Hospital chief, Dr. Bhupendra Avasthi, verified that the baby girl is the smallest surviving infant ever documented in India — a claim supported by Dr. Prashant Mane of JJ Hospital, who reinforced the notion that prior to this case, no other babies weighing as little as 350 grams survived.  

Dr. Prashant Mane, who oversees state-run JJ Hospital's NICU, agreed, saying, "A 350-gram baby would be the lightest one to survive.” 

Upon discharge, the baby weighed 1.8 kg (just under four pounds), measured 41.5 cm (16.3 in) in length, and had a head circumference of 29 cm (11.4 in).

“She has gained five times her birth weight and is neurologically normal for her age,” Dr. Kabra said. “We conducted tests and found that she is neurologically normal for her age."

Besides, the infant’s father stated that his daughter was prematurely born as the womb of her mother lacked sufficient blood supply. Thus, for four months while his daughter was in the hospital fighting for her life, he made the effort to ensure that his daughter consumed her mother’s milk. 

“My wife visited the NICU every day to provide kangaroo care (a method of skin-to-skin contact where a newborn is held upright against a caregiver’s bare chest) for about eight hours,” he noted. 

The Bottom Line:

Although contemporary medical science gives a reasonable chance of survival for babies weighing between 500 and 600 grams, the chances of survival are significantly lower for what doctors term a “nano preemie”—an infant as tiny as 350 grams.

Advancements in medical science continue to help save even the tiniest of human lives — all of whom are immensely valuable.