The baby girl, nicknamed “Yerang,” was born on April 22, 2024, weighing just 260 grams. (Image courtesy of Samsung Seoul Hospital)
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – In a remarkable story of survival that doctors are calling “miraculous,” South Korea’s smallest-ever newborn girl has finally gone home after spending 198 days in intensive care, offering hope for extremely premature infants worldwide.
The baby girl, nicknamed “Yerang,” was born on April 22, 2024, weighing just 260 grams — about the size of her delivering doctor’s palm. After nearly seven months of intensive care at Samsung Seoul Hospital, she was discharged on November 5, having grown to a healthy 3.19 kilograms (7 pounds).
“She’s become our ‘Ilwon-dong Tiger,’” said Dr. Yang Misun, referring to the hospital district’s name, her voice breaking with emotion as she recalled the infant’s journey. Dr. Yang served as Yerang’s primary physician throughout her stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Yerang was a precious arrival for her parents, who had been trying to conceive for three years. The pregnancy, however, took a threatening turn when fetal growth stopped at 21 weeks. Her mother was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and fluid retention.
After nearly seven months of intensive care at Samsung Seoul Hospital, Yerang was discharged on November 5, having grown to a healthy 3.19 kilograms (7 pounds). (Image courtesy of Samsung Seoul Hospital)
The medical team faced a crucial decision when Yerang’s mother was admitted with worsening symptoms. At just 25 weeks and 5 days gestation, an emergency cesarean section was performed on April 22, though the odds were stacked against the tiny infant’s survival.
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, babies born weighing less than 500 grams have only a 36.8% survival rate in South Korea. For those under 300 grams, like Yerang, the survival rate drops below 1%.
The first month proved especially critical when Yerang developed meconium ileus, a bowel obstruction that typically requires surgery. “None of us in the NICU will ever forget the moment she passed her first stool,” Dr. Yang recalled, highlighting how the team managed to avoid surgery through careful daily interventions.
The hospital’s multidisciplinary approach, established in 2014 through its Maternal and Child Intensive Care Center, proved crucial. Teams from obstetrics, pediatrics, ophthalmology, and rehabilitation medicine worked in concert to address multiple challenges, including respiratory failure and septic shock that required mechanical ventilation, antibiotics, and blood transfusions.
NICU nurses played a vital role, maintaining precise humidity levels while preventing infections and helping establish mother-infant bonding through kangaroo care. When Yerang’s mother temporarily lost her vision due to pregnancy complications, nurse Min Hyun-ki even assisted with breast milk pumping.
“Yerang represents hope for all future extremely low birth weight premature infants,” said Dr. Chang Yun Sil, director of the Maternal and Child Intensive Care Center.
“We need continued support and attention to find more opportunities to preserve life beyond what we currently consider medical limits.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
