In a heartwarming moment captured at the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, little Nash Keen is seen laughing joyfully while sitting between his parents, Mollie and Randall Keen. The photo was taken on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, showing the family smiling together during a special visit to the hospital where Nash spent his early months. AP
A baby born far too early in Iowa has just turned one. Little Nash Keen came into the world on July 5, 2024—at only 21 weeks of pregnancy. He weighed just 10 ounces, about the size of a soap bar. Doctors didn’t expect him to survive. But today, he’s not only alive—he holds a world record.
Nash’s Early Struggles
Nash spent six long months in the neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors and nurses worked around the clock to help him grow stronger. Finally, in January, he got to go home with his parents, Mollie and Randall Keen, to Ankeny, Iowa.
“He’s such a happy baby,” Mollie said. “He smiles all the time and sleeps through the night. You’d think he’d be more fragile after all that time in the NICU, but he’s really strong and curious.”
A New World Record
When Nash celebrated his first birthday, Guinness World Records named him the most premature baby to survive. He beat the previous record by just one day. That baby was born in Alabama in 2020.
His survival is more than a miracle—it shows how far medical care for preemies has come.
A Mother’s Tough Journey
This wasn’t Mollie’s first pregnancy. She had a miscarriage earlier and found out she had a condition that might stop her from carrying full-term. When she reached 20 weeks with Nash, her doctors told her she was already 2 centimeters dilated.
Usually, babies born before 22 weeks don’t survive. But the team at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital had already started saving babies born at 21 weeks. Mollie went into labor early, but with help, she held on just long enough—Nash was born right at 21 weeks.
The Fight to Survive
Doctors acted quickly to keep Nash alive. “They were always so calm,” Mollie said. “We learned to watch them. If they weren’t panicking, neither were we.”
Dr. Malinda Schaefer, the high-risk OB-GYN who delivered Nash, said his case pushed the limits of medicine. “I always try to be honest with parents,” she said. “They deserve to know what they’re facing. But it’s their choice in the end.”
Nash’s Progress Today
Nash still has challenges. He’s on oxygen, uses a feeding tube, and has a small heart defect. But his doctors are hopeful. The heart issue might fix itself as he grows.
He’s not crawling yet, but he rolls over and is learning to stand. “He’s strong,” said Mollie. “Those little legs have power.”
